Articles | Volume 12, issue 12
https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-12-6425-2019
© Author(s) 2019. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-12-6425-2019
© Author(s) 2019. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| 
09 Dec 2019
Research article |
| 09 Dec 2019
| 09 Dec 2019
On-flight intercomparison of three miniature aerosol absorption sensors using unmanned aerial systems (UASs)
Energy Environment and Water Research Center, The Cyprus Institute, Nicosia 1645, Cyprus
Spiros Bezantakos
Energy Environment and Water Research Center, The Cyprus Institute, Nicosia 1645, Cyprus
Griša Močnik
Aerosol d.o.o., 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
Department of Condensed Matter Physics, Jozef Stefan Institute, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
Center for Atmospheric Research, University of Nova Gorica, Vipavska 11c, 5270 Ajdovščina, Slovenia
Christos Keleshis
Energy Environment and Water Research Center, The Cyprus Institute, Nicosia 1645, Cyprus
Fred Brechtel
Brechtel Manufacturing Inc., 1789 Addison Way, Hayward, CA 94544, USA
Iasonas Stavroulas
Energy Environment and Water Research Center, The Cyprus Institute, Nicosia 1645, Cyprus
Institute for Environmental Research and Sustainable Development, National Observatory of Athens, 15236, Athens, Greece
Gregoris Demetriades
Energy Environment and Water Research Center, The Cyprus Institute, Nicosia 1645, Cyprus
Panayiota Antoniou
Energy Environment and Water Research Center, The Cyprus Institute, Nicosia 1645, Cyprus
Panagiotis Vouterakos
Energy Environment and Water Research Center, The Cyprus Institute, Nicosia 1645, Cyprus
Marios Argyrides
Energy Environment and Water Research Center, The Cyprus Institute, Nicosia 1645, Cyprus
Eleni Liakakou
Institute for Environmental Research and Sustainable Development, National Observatory of Athens, 15236, Athens, Greece
Luka Drinovec
Aerosol d.o.o., 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
Department of Condensed Matter Physics, Jozef Stefan Institute, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
Eleni Marinou
Institute for Astronomy, Astrophysics, Space Applications and Remote Sensing (IAASARS), National Observatory of Athens (NOA), 15236 Athens, Greece
Institute of Atmospheric Physics, German Aerospace Center (DLR), 82234 Weßling, Oberpfaffenhofen, Germany
Vassilis Amiridis
Institute for Astronomy, Astrophysics, Space Applications and Remote Sensing (IAASARS), National Observatory of Athens (NOA), 15236 Athens, Greece
Mihalis Vrekoussis
Energy Environment and Water Research Center, The Cyprus Institute, Nicosia 1645, Cyprus
Institute of Environmental Physics, University of Bremen, Otto-Hahn-Allee 1, 28359 Bremen, Germany
Center for Marine Environmental Sciences – MARUM, University of Bremen, Bremen, 28359, Germany
Nikolaos Mihalopoulos
Energy Environment and Water Research Center, The Cyprus Institute, Nicosia 1645, Cyprus
Institute for Environmental Research and Sustainable Development, National Observatory of Athens, 15236, Athens, Greece
Jean Sciare
Energy Environment and Water Research Center, The Cyprus Institute, Nicosia 1645, Cyprus
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Long-term observations at the Jungfraujoch High Altitude Research Station show that, alongside air mass transport, sustained oxidative processing shaped by atmospheric water vapor plays a central role in driving aerosol loading and composition. Combining detailed aerosol chemical characterization with process-level insights, we provide important observational benchmarks for improving atmospheric model performance in the remote free troposphere, where uncertainties remain particularly high.
Vijay P. Kanawade, Neha Deot, Mihai Ciobanu, Aliki Christodoulou, Marije van den Born, Chengfeng Liu, Alkistis Papetta, Rima Baalbaki, Michael Pikridas, Spyros Bezantakos, Anchal Garg, Chrysanthos Savvides, Efstratios Bourtsoukidis, George Biskos, Franco Marenco, Jean Sciare, and Tuija Jokinen
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 26, 8839–8854, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-26-8839-2026, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-26-8839-2026, 2026
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Only a small fraction of airborne particles acts as seeds for cloud droplets and influence climate, yet the processes controlling their abundance remain unclear. Field measurements in Cyprus reveal that particles smaller than 20 nanometers can rapidly shrink. This shrinkage was linked to dilution and possible evaporation of organic compounds, identifying a previously overlooked nanoparticle sink that may reduce cloud-forming particles and weaken aerosol-driven cooling.
Simon Bittner, Andreas Richter, Bianca Zilker, Sebastian Donner, Thomas Wagner, Alexandros Panagiotis Poulidis, Leonardo Alvarado, and Mihalis Vrekoussis
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 26, 8809–8838, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-26-8809-2026, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-26-8809-2026, 2026
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Knowing where air pollutants come from helps assess their impact on human health and climate. One proposed tool is the ratio of two trace gases, glyoxal and formaldehyde, measured from the ground at four sites. This ratio was found to be lower at natural and higher at human-influenced sites, and to vary systematically over the day, season, and with temperature. These patterns suggest that our current understanding of this ratio remains incomplete, limiting its reliable use as a source indicator.
Silke Groß, Florian Ewald, Bjorn Stevens, Martin Wirth, Georgios Dekoutsidis, André Ehrlich, Dimitra Kouklaki, Konstantin Krüger, Sophie Rosenburg, Lea Volkmer, Jonas von Bismark, Lutz Hirsch, Anna E. Luebke, Eleni Marinou, Bernhard Mayer, Montserrat Pinol Sole, Manfred Wendisch, Julia Windmiller, Vassilis Amiridis, Rob Koopman, Takuji Kubota, and Markus Rapp
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 19, 3933–3959, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-19-3933-2026, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-19-3933-2026, 2026
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In May 2024 the joint European Space Agency (ESA) and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) mission EarthCARE was launched. A similar payload as on the satellite was set up on the German research aircraft HALO, and deployed during an extensive measurement campaign to validated the satellite. We present our instrumentation, the measurements, and its potential for the validation of EarthCARE. We show first validation results and assessments of the EarthCARE data quality.
Luka Drinovec, Jesus Yus-Diez, Tobias Bühlmann, Maitane Iturrate-Garcia, Tobias Hammer, Konstantina Vasilatou, Arun Babu Suja, Thomas Müller, Krzysztof Ciupek, Alejandro Keller, Ernest Weingartner, Jorge Saturno, Maria Gini, Kostas Eleftheriadis, John Backman, Eija Asmi, and Griša Močnik
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-1501, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-1501, 2026
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We evaluated a traceable calibration method for aerosol absorption instruments based on monodisperse nigrosin particles. The absorption coefficient calculated using Mie theory was compared with measurements using the Photo-Thermal Aerosol Absorption Monitor, traceably calibrated with NO2. Particle classification using setups with the differential mobility analyzer, the centrifugal particle mass analyzer and a tandem of both in series were tested.
Maria Kezoudi, Alkistis Papetta, Konrad Kandler, Claire L. Ryder, Andreas Leonidou, Christos Keleshis, Chris Stopford, Troy Thornberry, Rodanthi-Elisavet Mamouri, Jean Sciare, and Franco Marenco
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 26, 7361–7385, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-26-7361-2026, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-26-7361-2026, 2026
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This study demonstrates a cost-efficient methodology using Uncrewed Aerial Systems for quantitative characterization of airborne dust. It enables high-resolution vertical profiling of microphysical properties of dust layers from the Middle East and North Africa over Cyprus, improving understanding of regional dust transport, source-dependent variability, and impacts on air quality, radiation, and climate.
Stefanos Papagiannis, Manousos I. Manousakas, Dimitrios F. Anagnostopoulos, Michael Pikridas, Rima Baalbaki, Jean Sciare, Niall O'Sullivan, Stig Hellebust, John Wenger, Kirsten N. Fossum, Jurgita Ovadnevaite, Anja Tremper, David Green, Konstantinos Eleftheriadis, and Evangelia Diapouli
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 19, 3491–3509, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-19-3491-2026, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-19-3491-2026, 2026
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We compared near real-time and benchtop XRF spectrometers measuring trace elements in airborne particles across three European cities. Results show filter material dictates accuracy: Teflon yielded strong inter-instrument agreement, while quartz caused systematic attenuation errors for light elements. Because empirical corrections left residual biases, using optimal substrates—preferably Teflon—is essential for accurately tracking pollution sources.
Maria Tsichla, Konrad Kandler, Sudharaj Aryasree, Stavros Solomos, Christos Spyrou, Alexandra Tsekeri, Anna Kampouri, Anna Gialitaki, Eleni Drakaki, Thanasis Natsis, Maria Kezoudi, Alkistis Papetta, Franco Marenco, Jean Sciare, Eleni Marinou, Kalliopi Artemis Voudouri, Nikos Mihalopoulos, and Vassilis Amiridis
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-921, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-921, 2026
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Desert dust plays an important role in the Earth–atmosphere system by affecting clouds, radiation, and ocean processes. Here, we determine the composition of desert dust over Cabo Verde using drones and microscopy analysis, and compare the measurements with model simulations. We find that the main dust mineral is illite, while the dominant element is silicon. Our results highlight the value of airborne in-situ observations for improving dust models and understanding dust–climate interactions.
Siqing Xu, Yves Balkanski, Philippe Ciais, and Jean Sciare
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 26, 6321–6350, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-26-6321-2026, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-26-6321-2026, 2026
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Uncertainty in dust emission estimates stems from simplified surface parameterizations. We incorporate dynamic vegetation cover into the dust emission scheme of an Earth System Model. Including vegetation reduces global dust emissions by 23 % and redistributes regional contributions by suppressing emissions in grass-covered dryland, improving agreement with observations of the global dust cycle. This work establishes a framework for advancing the representation of land–atmosphere feedbacks.
Kalliopi Artemis Voudouri, Eleni Marinou, Ilianna Koutsoupi, Vassilis Spyrakos, Dimitra Karkani, Ioanna Tsikoudi, Alessandro Battaglia, Pavlos Kollias, Eleni Giannakaki, and Vassilis Amiridis
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-2384, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-2384, 2026
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Cloud observations from the CloudSat mission (2007–2017) reveal how clouds vary per altitude and season across the Mediterranean. Comparisons with ERA5 reanalysis show good overall agreement, though ice clouds are often underestimated. Early EarthCARE mission data are also presented, towards improving long-term climate records.
Oliver Schneising, Heinrich Bovensmann, Michael Buchwitz, Matthias Buschmann, Nicholas M. Deutscher, David W. T. Griffith, Jonas Hachmeister, Frank Hase, Laura T. Iraci, Rigel Kivi, Isamu Morino, Hirofumi Ohyama, Christof Petri, Maximilian Reuter, John Robinson, Coleen Roehl, Mahesh Kumar Sha, Kei Shiomi, Kimberly Strong, Ralf Sussmann, Yao Té, Voltaire A. Velazco, Mihalis Vrekoussis, Wei Wang, Thorsten Warneke, Damien Weidmann, Debra Wunch, Minqiang Zhou, and Hartmut Bösch
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 19, 2407–2435, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-19-2407-2026, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-19-2407-2026, 2026
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We present an improved version of the TROPOMI/WFMD (TROPOspheric Monitoring Instrument/Weighting Function Modified Differential) algorithm for the simultaneous retrieval of atmospheric methane and carbon monoxide from satellite observations. The updated data product combines higher data yield with better precision and accuracy, expanding its suitability for a wider range of scientific applications. These substantial advances are mainly due to refined quality filtering, enabling more reliable identification of cloudy scenes and mitigating specific aerosol-related issues.
Giannis Ioannidis, Vincent Langat, Roubina Papaconstantinou, Spyros Bezantakos, Prashant Kumar, and George Biskos
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-897, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-897, 2026
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Low-cost air pollution sensors could greatly expand monitoring, but their readings are often affected by environmental conditions. We studied how to improve their accuracy by comparing them with high-quality instruments and using machine learning methods to correct the data. We found that reliable results can be achieved while reducing the time needed for calibration from about 70 % to 80 % of measurements to about 22 % percent, lowering costs while maintaining data quality.
Marta Via, Jure Demšar, Yufang Hao, Manousos Manousakas, Anton Rusanen, Jianhui Jiang, Stuart K. Grange, Jean-Luc Jaffrezo, Vy Ngoc Thuy Dinh, Gaëlle Uzu, Griša Močnik, and Kaspar R. Daellenbach
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 19, 2175–2195, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-19-2175-2026, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-19-2175-2026, 2026
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We introduce BAMF+HS (Bayesian Autocorrelated Matrix Factorisation+Horseshoe), an enhanced Bayesian receptor model for particulate matter (PM) source apportionment. By applying a regularised horseshoe prior to the chemical composition matrix, BAMF+HS enforces sparsity, filtering out irrelevant species and improving source separation. Tests on synthetic and real datasets show BAMF+HS consistently outperforms previous models in accuracy and clarity.
Athena Augusta Floutsi, Konstantinos Rizos, Dimitri Trapon, Ronny Engelmann, Dietrich Althausen, Eleni Marinou, Peristera Paschou, Julian Hofer, Emmanouil Proestakis, Henriette Gebauer, Annett Skupin, Albert Ansmann, Thorsten Fehr, Timon Hummel, Rob Koopman, Vassilis Amiridis, Ulla Wandinger, and Holger Baars
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 19, 1901–1925, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-19-1901-2026, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-19-1901-2026, 2026
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We assess the representativeness of a remote ground-based station in Mindelo, Cabo Verde by utilizing continuous observations of a ground-based multiwavelength polarization Raman lidar and the LIdar climatology of Vertical Aerosol Structure (LIVAS) products. Based on a statistical analysis of the optical properties at different radii around Mindelo and case studies, we conclude that overall, the ground-based station in Mindelo can be considered conditionally representative.
Anna Moustaka, Antonis Gkikas, Stavros-Andreas Logothetis, Johannes Flemming, Samuel Rémy, Melanie Ades, Angela Benedetti, Kleareti Tourpali, Vassilis Amiridis, and Stelios Kazadzis
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-1107, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-1107, 2026
This preprint is open for discussion and under review for Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics (ACP).
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We examined how atmospheric aerosols have changed worldwide over the past two decades using a global atmospheric reanalysis together with ground-based observations. We found strong regional differences, with clear declines in some industrialized areas and increases in parts of South Asia and the Middle East. These long-term records help improve understanding of changes in climate and air quality.
Anchal Garg, Maximilien Desservettaz, Aliki Christodoulou, Theodoros Christoudias, Vijay Punjaji Kanawade, Chrysanthos Savvides, Mihalis Vrekoussis, Shahid Naqui, Tuija Jokinen, Joseph Byron, Jonathan Williams, Nikos Mihalopoulos, Eleni Liakakou, Jean Sciare, and Efstratios Bourtsoukidis
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 26, 2597–2622, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-26-2597-2026, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-26-2597-2026, 2026
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This study reports multi-year (2022–2024) measurements of 76 volatile organic compounds (VOCs) at a rural site in Cyprus. Oxygenated VOCs were the most abundant and showed strong daytime increases due to sunlight-driven chemistry. Air-mass analysis showed that transport from Middle East strongly influenced aromatic VOC levels. Climate–chemistry modeling underestimated most VOCs, highlighting gaps in current emission and chemical processes.
Anna Moustaka, Nikolaos Siomos, Stelios Kazadzis, Emmanouil Proestakis, Kalliopi Artemis Voudouri, Anton Lopatin, Oleg Dubovik, Kleareti Tourpali, Christos Zerefos, Vassilis Amiridis, and Antonis Gkikas
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 19, 1201–1225, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-19-1201-2026, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-19-1201-2026, 2026
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North Africa and the Middle East are home to the world’s most active dust sources, but accurately monitoring airborne dust remains challenging. We combine active and passive satellite aerosol products to dynamically estimate dust lidar ratios over a 12-year period. The results reveal pronounced and physically meaningful regional variability, improving aerosol characterization and supporting climate and air-quality applications.
Alkistis Papetta, Maria Kezoudi, Holger Baars, Athina Floutsi, Eleni Drakaki, Konrad Kandler, Sudharaj Aryasree, Elena Louca, Theodoros Christoudias, Eleni Marinou, Chris Stopford, Troy Thornberry, Vassilis Amiridis, Jean Sciare, and Franco Marenco
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 26, 2055–2082, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-26-2055-2026, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-26-2055-2026, 2026
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Dust in the atmosphere affects air quality, weather, and climate, but measuring it is challenging. We used drones and ground-based instruments to study how dust particles interact with light and relate this to their mass. Current methods often underestimate large dust particles, leading to errors in dust quantity. Our results show that regional differences in dust must be considered to improve climate models and satellite observations.
Elie Bimenyimana, Jean Sciare, Michael Pikridas, Konstantina Oikonomou, Minas Iakovides, Emily Vasiliadou, Chrysanthos Savvides, and Nikos Mihalopoulos
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 26, 1605–1622, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-26-1605-2026, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-26-1605-2026, 2026
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Long-term (2015–2023) source apportionment analysis reveals that reduction in PM10 concentration levels from traffic in Cypriot cities is completely offset by the concomitant increase of uncontrolled PM from local sources (road dust resuspension, and domestic wood burning), along with rising Middle East PM from fossil fuel emissions. This poses a major challenge for Cyprus to comply with the stricter PM10 limits set by the new EU air quality directive.
Konstantinos Rizos, Emmanouil Proestakis, Thanasis Georgiou, Antonis Gkikas, Eleni Marinou, Peristera Paschou, Kalliopi Artemis Voudouri, Athanasios Tsikerdekis, David P. Donovan, Gerd-Jan van Zadelhoff, Angela Benedetti, Holger Baars, Athena Augusta Floutsi, Nikos Benas, Martin Stengel, Christian Retscher, Edward Malina, and Vassilis Amiridis
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 19, 699–728, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-19-699-2026, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-19-699-2026, 2026
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The Aeolus satellite's lidar system had limitations in detecting certain atmospheric layers and distinguishing between aerosol and cloud types. To improve accuracy, a new dust detection product was developed. By combining data from various sources and validating it with ground-based measurements, this enhanced product performs better than the original. It helps improve dust transport models and weather predictions, making it a valuable tool for atmospheric monitoring and forecasting.
Constantina Rousogenous, Christof Petri, Pierre-Yves Quéhé, Thomas Laemmel, Joshua L. Laughner, Maximilien Desservettaz, Michael Pikridas, Michel Ramonet, Efstratios Bourtsoukidis, Matthias Buschmann, Justus Notholt, Thorsten Warneke, Jean-Daniel Paris, Jean Sciare, and Mihalis Vrekoussis
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 19, 565–581, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-19-565-2026, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-19-565-2026, 2026
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The Eastern Mediterranean and Middle East is a greenhouse gas emission hotspot but lacks atmospheric monitoring. Our study introduces the first Total Carbon Column Observing Network site in this region, in Cyprus, providing high-precision columnar measurement of key greenhouse gases. This new dataset enhances global climate monitoring efforts, supports the validation of satellites, will help assess regional emission trends, filling a critical observational gap in this climate-sensitive region.
Yijuan Zhang, Guy Brasseur, Maria Kanakidou, Claire Granier, Nikos Daskalakis, Alexandros Panagiotis Poulidis, Kun Qu, and Mihalis Vrekoussis
Geosci. Model Dev., 19, 217–237, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-19-217-2026, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-19-217-2026, 2026
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A new inventory of anthropogenic emissions, the China INtegrated Emission Inventory (CINEI), was developed in this study to better represent emission sectors, chemical speciation and spatiotemporal variations in China. Compared to simulations driven by global inventories, CINEI demonstrated better numerical modeling performance in ozone and its precursors (nitrogen dioxide and carbon monoxide). This study provides valuable insights for designing ozone mitigation strategies.
Roubina Papaconstantinou, Spyros Bezantakos, Michael Pikridas, Moreno Parolin, Melina Stylianou, Chrysanthos Savvides, Jean Sciare, and George Biskos
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 19, 63–78, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-19-63-2026, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-19-63-2026, 2026
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We evaluate the ability of the Vaisala AQT530 (Air Quality Transmitter) monitors, comprising of low-cost sensors, to detect spatial and temporal differences. Collocated with reference instruments over 19 months in Nicosia, results showed that CO and PM (particulate matter) sensors captured daily, hourly, and monthly spatial trends. NO2, NO, and O3 sensors were less reliable due to environmental effects. Still, all sensors tracked monthly temporal variations at the same location, with PM2.5 showing the strongest agreement with reference data.
Siqing Xu, Sebastiaan Luyssaert, Yves Balkanski, Philippe Ciais, Nicolas Viovy, Liang Wan, and Jean Sciare
Geosci. Model Dev., 19, 1–25, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-19-1-2026, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-19-1-2026, 2026
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Prescribing a fixed grassland density in the ORCHIDEE model limits its ability to capture grassland dynamics, leading to unrealistic mortality, especially in semi-arid grasslands. We proposed a dynamic density approach where a positive density-precipitation relationship emerges. This method improves spatial pattern, significantly reduces mortality, sustains productivity, and raises the aridity threshold above which frequent mortality events occur in grasslands.
Anna Maria Neroladaki, Maria Tsagkaraki, Kyriaki Papoutsidaki, Kalliopi Tavernaraki, Filothei Boufidou, Pavlos Zarmpas, Irini Tsiodra, Eleni Liakakou, Aikaterini Bougiatioti, Giorgos Kouvarakis, Nikos Kalivitis, Christos Kaltsonoudis, Athanasios Karagioras, Dimitrios Balis, Konstantinos Michailidis, Konstantinos Kourtidis, Stelios Myriokefalitakis, Nikos Hatzianastassiou, Spyros N. Pandis, Athanasios Nenes, Nikolaos Mihalopoulos, and Maria Kanakidou
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 17953–17971, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-17953-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-17953-2025, 2025
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Aerosol acidity affects aerosol composition and properties, and therefore climate, human health and ecosystems. We use summer and winter fine aerosol observations at 6 sites across Greece, and a thermodynamic model to calculate the spatial and seasonal variability of aerosol acidity. Aerosols were acidic to moderately acidic and more acidic during summer than winter. The importance of organics for aerosol acidity was small. Depending on location different factors controlled aerosol acidity.
Aino Ovaska, Elio Rauth, Daniel Holmberg, Paulo Artaxo, John Backman, Benjamin Bergmans, Don Collins, Marco Aurélio Franco, Shahzad Gani, Roy M. Harrison, Rakesh K. Hooda, Tareq Hussein, Antti-Pekka Hyvärinen, Kerneels Jaars, Adam Kristensson, Markku Kulmala, Lauri Laakso, Ari Laaksonen, Nikolaos Mihalopoulos, Colin O'Dowd, Jakub Ondracek, Tuukka Petäjä, Kristina Plauškaitė, Mira Pöhlker, Ximeng Qi, Peter Tunved, Ville Vakkari, Alfred Wiedensohler, Kai Puolamäki, Tuomo Nieminen, Veli-Matti Kerminen, Victoria A. Sinclair, and Pauli Paasonen
Aerosol Research, 3, 589–618, https://doi.org/10.5194/ar-3-589-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/ar-3-589-2025, 2025
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We trained machine learning models to estimate the number of aerosol particles large enough to form clouds and generated daily estimates for the entire globe. The models performed well in many continental regions but struggled in remote and marine areas. Still, this approach offers a way to quantify these particles in areas that lack direct measurements, helping us understand their influence on clouds and climate on a global scale.
Kun Qu, Xuesong Wang, Yu Yan, Xipeng Jin, Ling-Yan He, Xiao-Feng Huang, Xuhui Cai, Jin Shen, Zimu Peng, Teng Xiao, Mihalis Vrekoussis, Maria Kanakidou, Guy P. Brasseur, Nikos Daskalakis, Limin Zeng, and Yuanhang Zhang
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 16983–17007, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-16983-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-16983-2025, 2025
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Persistent cold-season PM2.5 pollution in a South China region during 2015–2017 was studied to assess the roles of drastic meteorological and emission changes. We found that meteorological variations, induced by a transition from El Niño to La Niña, were the main cause of persistent pollution, as stronger northerly winds enhanced pollutant transport into the region. In contrast, the effect of rapid emission reductions was limited. Recommendations for air quality improvement were also proposed.
Ioanna Tsikoudi, Eleni Marinou, Maria Tombrou, Eleni Giannakaki, Emmanouil Proestakis, Konstantinos Rizos, Ville Vakkari, Holger Baars, Annett Skupin, Ronny Engelmann, Zhenping Yin, and Vassilis Amiridis
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 16491–16510, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-16491-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-16491-2025, 2025
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We study the characteristics of the boundary layer over three areas: the tropical Atlantic, the tropical West African continent, and near Cabo Verde using PollyXT and CALIPSO (Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observations) lidar measurements, as well as ECMWF (European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts) data. The findings underline the strengths and limitations of different observational and modeling approaches, and emphasizes on the importance of considering aerosol conditions and local meteorology when interpreting boundary layer dynamics.
Emmanouil Proestakis, Kyriakoula Papachristopoulou, Thanasis Georgiou, Sofia Eirini Chatoutsidou, Mihalis Lazaridis, Antonis Gkikas, Ilias Fountoulakis, Ioanna Tsikoudi, Manolis P. Petrakis, and Vassilis Amiridis
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 14777–14823, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-14777-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-14777-2025, 2025
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Based on Earth observations of dust the study addresses the questions: To what extent have the fine and coarse modes of atmospheric dust within the planetary boundary layer (PBL) changed over major cities worldwide? Which areas experience fine-mode and coarse-mode dust mass concentrations within the PBL that exceed World Health Organization air quality guidelines, and which areas are projected to exceed these guidelines in the near future? Can we quantify associated impacts on human health?
Andrew Gerald Barr, Jochen Landgraf, Mari Martinez-Velarte, Mihalis Vrekoussis, Ralf Sussmann, Isamu Morino, Kimberly Strong, Minqiang Zhou, Voltaire A. Velazco, Hirofumi Ohyama, Thorsten Warneke, Frank Hase, and Tobias Borsdorff
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 18, 6093–6123, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-18-6093-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-18-6093-2025, 2025
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The Greenhouse Gases Observing Satellite-2 (GOSAT-2) is a satellite dedicated to measuring concentrations of greenhouse gases from space. Since its launch, the increase of CH4 and CO2 concentrations in the atmosphere is clear. The datasets obtained from GOSAT-2 are used in the Copernicus atmospheric services to monitor the climate, in light of the Paris Agreement. Here we present robust datasets of these gases from GOSAT-2, including a novel machine learning approach to data quality filtering.
Ioanna Tsikoudi, Alessandro Battaglia, Christine Unal, and Eleni Marinou
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 18, 4857–4870, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-18-4857-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-18-4857-2025, 2025
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In the study, we simulate spectral polarimetric variables for raindrops as observed by cloud radar. Raindrops are modeled as oblate spheroids, and backscattering properties are computed via the T-matrix method, including noise, turbulence, and spectral averaging effects. When comparing simulations with measurements, differences in the amplitudes of polarimetric variables are noted. This shows the challenge of using simplified shapes to model raindrop polarimetric variables when moving to millimeter wavelengths.
Peristera Paschou, Nikolaos Siomos, Eleni Marinou, Antonis Gkikas, Samira M. Idrissa, Daniel T. Quaye, Désiré D. Fiogbe Attannon, Kalliopi Artemis Voudouri, Charikleia Meleti, David P. Donovan, George Georgoussis, Tommaso Parrinello, Thorsten Fehr, Jonas von Bismarck, and Vassilis Amiridis
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 18, 4731–4754, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-18-4731-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-18-4731-2025, 2025
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This study presents the results from a validation study on the Level 2A products (aerosol optical properties) of the ESA's (European Space Agency) Aeolus mission. Measurements from the eVe lidar, a combined linear/circular polarization and Raman lidar and ESA's ground reference system, that have been collected during the Joint Aeolus Tropical Atlantic Campaign are compared with collocated Aeolus Level 2A profiles obtained from the latest version (Baseline 16) of the Aeolus algorithms.
Alexandra P. Tsimpidi, Susanne M. C. Scholz, Alexandros Milousis, Nikolaos Mihalopoulos, and Vlassis A. Karydis
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 10183–10213, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-10183-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-10183-2025, 2025
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This study examines global changes in air pollution from 2000 to 2020, focusing on fine aerosols that impact climate and health. Using models and global data, it finds that organic aerosols dominate in many regions, especially with wildfires or natural emissions. Pollution from sulfate and nitrate has decreased in Europe and North America due to regulations, while trends in Asia are more complex. The findings improve understanding and support policies for cleaner air and healthier environments.
Emmanouil Proestakis, Vassilis Amiridis, Carlos Pérez García-Pando, Svetlana Tsyro, Jan Griesfeller, Antonis Gkikas, Thanasis Georgiou, María Gonçalves Ageitos, Jeronimo Escribano, Stelios Myriokefalitakis, Elisa Bergas Masso, Enza Di Tomaso, Sara Basart, Jan-Berend W. Stuut, and Angela Benedetti
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 17, 4351–4395, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-17-4351-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-17-4351-2025, 2025
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Quantification of dust deposition into the broader Atlantic Ocean is provided, with the estimates established based on Earth observations. The dataset is considered unique with respect to a range of applications, including compensating for spatiotemporal gaps of sediment-trap measurements, assessments of model simulations, shedding light on physical processes related to the dust cycle, and improving the understanding of dust biogeochemical impacts on oceanic ecosystems, weather, and climate.
Irena Ježek Brecelj, Asta Gregorič, Lucijan Zgonik, Tjaša Rutar, Matic Ivančič, Bálint Alföldy, Griša Močnik, and Martin Rigler
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 9113–9125, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-9113-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-9113-2025, 2025
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Following a major car industry scandal involving diesel emissions tests, the European Union (EU) introduced new testing procedures. However, concerns remained about their effectiveness. Our independent study examined real-world vehicle emissions and revealed encouraging findings: modern diesel cars perform as well as, or even better than, gasoline cars in terms of nitrogen oxide emissions. We found the same pattern for soot particles, challenging common perceptions about diesel's environmental impact.
Marios Chatziparaschos, Stelios Myriokefalitakis, Nikos Kalivitis, Nikos Daskalakis, Athanasios Nenes, María Gonçalves Ageitos, Montserrat Costa-Surós, Carlos Pérez García-Pando, Mihalis Vrekoussis, and Maria Kanakidou
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 9085–9111, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-9085-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-9085-2025, 2025
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We show distinct seasonal and geographical patterns in the contributions of mineral dust, marine aerosol, and terrestrial biological particles to ice-nucleating particle (INP) concentrations that lead to atmospheric ice formation, a major source of uncertainty in climate projections. Bioaerosols are the major source of INPs at high temperatures, while mineral dust influences the global INP population at lower temperatures. These particles can satisfactorily reproduce INPs in a climate model.
Aki Tsuruta, Akihiko Kuze, Kei Shiomi, Fumie Kataoka, Nobuhiro Kikuchi, Tuula Aalto, Leif Backman, Ella Kivimäki, Maria K. Tenkanen, Kathryn McKain, Omaira E. García, Frank Hase, Rigel Kivi, Isamu Morino, Hirofumi Ohyama, David F. Pollard, Mahesh K. Sha, Kimberly Strong, Ralf Sussmann, Yao Te, Voltaire A. Velazco, Mihalis Vrekoussis, Thorsten Warneke, Minqiang Zhou, and Hiroshi Suto
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 7829–7862, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-7829-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-7829-2025, 2025
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Satellite data bring invaluable information about greenhouse gas emissions globally. We found that a new type of data from the Greenhouse Gas Observing Satellite (GOSAT), which contains information about methane in the lowest layer of Earth's atmosphere, could provide reliable estimates of recent methane emissions when combined with atmospheric modelling. Therefore, the use of such data is encouraged to improve emission quantification methods and advance our understanding of methane cycles.
Anna Kampouri, Vassilis Amiridis, Thanasis Georgiou, Stavros Solomos, Anna Gialitaki, Maria Tsichla, Michael Rennie, Simona Scollo, and Prodromos Zanis
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 7343–7368, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-7343-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-7343-2025, 2025
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This study proposes a novel inverse modeling framework coupled with remote sensing data for improving volcanic ash dispersion forecasts, essential for aviation safety. By integrating FLEXPART dispersion model outputs with ground-based ACTRIS lidar observations, the approach estimates Etna's volcanic particle emissions and highlights a significant enhancement in the forecast accuracy.
Jesús Yus-Díez, Luka Drinovec, Lucas Alados-Arboledas, Gloria Titos, Elena Bazo, Andrea Casans, Diego Patrón, Xavier Querol, Adolfo Gonzalez-Romero, Carlos Perez García-Pando, and Griša Močnik
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 18, 3073–3093, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-18-3073-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-18-3073-2025, 2025
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We have used absorption from a photothermal interferometer and scattering measurements to evaluate the most deployed filter photometers used to measure absorption for monitoring networks. We used soot- and dust-dominated aerosol samples in both laboratory and ambient settings. Our results indicated that one of these filter photometers, the MAAP (Multiangle Absorption Photometer), usually used as a pseudo-reference instrument, had 47 % higher absorption values than our reference measurements.
Anthony Rey-Pommier, Alexandre Héraud, Frédéric Chevallier, Philippe Ciais, Theodoros Christoudias, Jonilda Kushta, and Jean Sciare
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 17, 3329–3351, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-17-3329-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-17-3329-2025, 2025
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In this study, we estimate emissions of nitrogen oxides (NOx) in 2022 at high resolution at the global scale, using satellite observations. We provide maps of the emissions and identify several types of sources. Our results are similar to the EDGAR emission inventory. However, differences are found in countries with lower observation densities and lower emissions.
Konstantinos Kourtidis, Stavros Stathopoulos, and Vassilis Amiridis
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 5935–5946, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-5935-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-5935-2025, 2025
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The sound of thunder induces mechanical effects on cloud droplets and ice particles, causing changes in their size distribution. A shock wave near the lightning channel causes extensive shattering of cloud particles. At a distance, the audio wave will cause agglomeration of particles. So, thunder may influence the rain generation process and the radiative properties of clouds. As global warming may influence the occurrence rate of lightning, a climate feedback may be induced by these mechanisms.
Johann Rasmus Nüß, Nikos Daskalakis, Fabian Günther Piwowarczyk, Angelos Gkouvousis, Oliver Schneising, Michael Buchwitz, Maria Kanakidou, Maarten C. Krol, and Mihalis Vrekoussis
Geosci. Model Dev., 18, 2861–2890, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-18-2861-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-18-2861-2025, 2025
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We estimate carbon monoxide emissions through inverse modeling, an approach where measurements of tracers in the atmosphere are fed to a model to calculate backwards in time (inverse) where the tracers came from. We introduce measurements from a new satellite instrument and show that, in most places globally, these on their own sufficiently constrain the emissions. This alleviates the need for additional datasets, which could shorten the delay for future carbon monoxide source estimates.
Natalie M. Mahowald, Longlei Li, Julius Vira, Marje Prank, Douglas S. Hamilton, Hitoshi Matsui, Ron L. Miller, P. Louis Lu, Ezgi Akyuz, Daphne Meidan, Peter Hess, Heikki Lihavainen, Christine Wiedinmyer, Jenny Hand, Maria Grazia Alaimo, Célia Alves, Andres Alastuey, Paulo Artaxo, Africa Barreto, Francisco Barraza, Silvia Becagli, Giulia Calzolai, Shankararaman Chellam, Ying Chen, Patrick Chuang, David D. Cohen, Cristina Colombi, Evangelia Diapouli, Gaetano Dongarra, Konstantinos Eleftheriadis, Johann Engelbrecht, Corinne Galy-Lacaux, Cassandra Gaston, Dario Gomez, Yenny González Ramos, Roy M. Harrison, Chris Heyes, Barak Herut, Philip Hopke, Christoph Hüglin, Maria Kanakidou, Zsofia Kertesz, Zbigniew Klimont, Katriina Kyllönen, Fabrice Lambert, Xiaohong Liu, Remi Losno, Franco Lucarelli, Willy Maenhaut, Beatrice Marticorena, Randall V. Martin, Nikolaos Mihalopoulos, Yasser Morera-Gómez, Adina Paytan, Joseph Prospero, Sergio Rodríguez, Patricia Smichowski, Daniela Varrica, Brenna Walsh, Crystal L. Weagle, and Xi Zhao
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 4665–4702, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-4665-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-4665-2025, 2025
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Aerosol particles are an important part of the Earth system, but their concentrations are spatially and temporally heterogeneous, as well as being variable in size and composition. Here, we present a new compilation of PM2.5 and PM10 aerosol observations, focusing on the spatial variability across different observational stations, including composition, and demonstrate a method for comparing the data sets to model output.
Neha Deot, Vijay P. Kanawade, Alkistis Papetta, Rima Baalbaki, Michael Pikridas, Franco Marenco, Markku Kulmala, Jean Sciare, Katrianne Lehtipalo, and Tuija Jokinen
Aerosol Research, 3, 139–154, https://doi.org/10.5194/ar-3-139-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/ar-3-139-2025, 2025
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We studied how nanoparticles form in the atmosphere at two different altitudes in Cyprus, focusing on how meteorology impacts this process. Using data from two sites, we found that air from lower regions carries particles up to higher areas, affecting air quality and potentially climate. Our findings help improve understanding of how particles form and grow in the air, which is important for predicting changes in climate and air pollution in the future.
Ludovico Di Antonio, Claudia Di Biagio, Paola Formenti, Aline Gratien, Vincent Michoud, Christopher Cantrell, Astrid Bauville, Antonin Bergé, Mathieu Cazaunau, Servanne Chevaillier, Manuela Cirtog, Patrice Coll, Barbara D'Anna, Joel F. de Brito, David O. De Haan, Juliette R. Dignum, Shravan Deshmukh, Olivier Favez, Pierre-Marie Flaud, Cecile Gaimoz, Lelia N. Hawkins, Julien Kammer, Brigitte Language, Franck Maisonneuve, Griša Močnik, Emilie Perraudin, Jean-Eudes Petit, Prodip Acharja, Laurent Poulain, Pauline Pouyes, Eva Drew Pronovost, Véronique Riffault, Kanuri I. Roundtree, Marwa Shahin, Guillaume Siour, Eric Villenave, Pascal Zapf, Gilles Foret, Jean-François Doussin, and Matthias Beekmann
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 3161–3189, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-3161-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-3161-2025, 2025
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The spectral complex refractive index (CRI) and single scattering albedo were retrieved from submicron aerosol measurements at three sites within the greater Paris area during the ACROSS field campaign (June–July 2022). Measurements revealed urban emission impact on surrounding areas. CRI full period averages at 520 nm were 1.41 – 0.037i (urban), 1.52 – 0.038i (peri-urban), and 1.50 – 0.025i (rural). Organic aerosols dominated the aerosol mass and contributed up to 22 % of absorption at 370 nm.
Xiansheng Liu, Xun Zhang, Marvin Dufresne, Tao Wang, Lijie Wu, Rosa Lara, Roger Seco, Marta Monge, Ana Maria Yáñez-Serrano, Marie Gohy, Paul Petit, Audrey Chevalier, Marie-Pierre Vagnot, Yann Fortier, Alexia Baudic, Véronique Ghersi, Grégory Gille, Ludovic Lanzi, Valérie Gros, Leïla Simon, Heidi Héllen, Stefan Reimann, Zoé Le Bras, Michelle Jessy Müller, David Beddows, Siqi Hou, Zongbo Shi, Roy M. Harrison, William Bloss, James Dernie, Stéphane Sauvage, Philip K. Hopke, Xiaoli Duan, Taicheng An, Alastair C. Lewis, James R. Hopkins, Eleni Liakakou, Nikolaos Mihalopoulos, Xiaohu Zhang, Andrés Alastuey, Xavier Querol, and Thérèse Salameh
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 625–638, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-625-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-625-2025, 2025
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This study examines BTEX (benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, xylenes) pollution in urban areas across seven European countries. Analyzing data from 22 monitoring sites, we found traffic and industrial activities significantly impact BTEX levels, with peaks during rush hours. The risk from BTEX exposure remains moderate, especially in high-traffic and industrial zones, highlighting the need for targeted air quality management to protect public health and improve urban air quality.
Pamela A. Dominutti, Jean-Luc Jaffrezo, Anouk Marsal, Takoua Mhadhbi, Rhabira Elazzouzi, Camille Rak, Fabrizia Cavalli, Jean-Philippe Putaud, Aikaterini Bougiatioti, Nikolaos Mihalopoulos, Despina Paraskevopoulou, Ian Mudway, Athanasios Nenes, Kaspar R. Daellenbach, Catherine Banach, Steven J. Campbell, Hana Cigánková, Daniele Contini, Greg Evans, Maria Georgopoulou, Manuella Ghanem, Drew A. Glencross, Maria Rachele Guascito, Hartmut Herrmann, Saima Iram, Maja Jovanović, Milena Jovašević-Stojanović, Markus Kalberer, Ingeborg M. Kooter, Suzanne E. Paulson, Anil Patel, Esperanza Perdrix, Maria Chiara Pietrogrande, Pavel Mikuška, Jean-Jacques Sauvain, Katerina Seitanidi, Pourya Shahpoury, Eduardo J. d. S. Souza, Sarah Steimer, Svetlana Stevanovic, Guillaume Suarez, P. S. Ganesh Subramanian, Battist Utinger, Marloes F. van Os, Vishal Verma, Xing Wang, Rodney J. Weber, Yuhan Yang, Xavier Querol, Gerard Hoek, Roy M. Harrison, and Gaëlle Uzu
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 18, 177–195, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-18-177-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-18-177-2025, 2025
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In this work, 20 labs worldwide collaborated to evaluate the measurement of air pollution's oxidative potential (OP), a key indicator of its harmful effects. The study aimed to identify disparities in the widely used OP dithiothreitol assay and assess the consistency of OP among labs using the same protocol. The results showed that half of the labs achieved acceptable results. However, variability was also found, highlighting the need for standardisation in OP procedures.
Jianing Dai, Guy P. Brasseur, Mihalis Vrekoussis, Maria Kanakidou, Kun Qu, Yijuan Zhang, Hongliang Zhang, and Tao Wang
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 12943–12962, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-12943-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-12943-2024, 2024
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This paper employs a regional chemical transport model to quantify the sensitivity of air pollutants and photochemical parameters to specified emission reductions in China for representative winter and summer conditions. The study provides insights into further air quality control in China with reduced primary emissions.
Valeria Mardoñez-Balderrama, Griša Močnik, Marco Pandolfi, Robin L. Modini, Fernando Velarde, Laura Renzi, Angela Marinoni, Jean-Luc Jaffrezo, Isabel Moreno R., Diego Aliaga, Federico Bianchi, Claudia Mohr, Martin Gysel-Beer, Patrick Ginot, Radovan Krejci, Alfred Wiedensohler, Gaëlle Uzu, Marcos Andrade, and Paolo Laj
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 12055–12077, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-12055-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-12055-2024, 2024
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Levels of black carbon (BC) are scarcely reported in the Southern Hemisphere, especially in high-altitude conditions. This study provides insight into the concentration level, variability, and optical properties of BC in La Paz and El Alto and at the Chacaltaya Global Atmosphere Watch Station. Two methods of source apportionment of absorption were tested and compared showing traffic as the main contributor to absorption in the urban area, in addition to biomass and open waste burning.
Sylvain Mailler, Sotirios Mallios, Arineh Cholakian, Vassilis Amiridis, Laurent Menut, and Romain Pennel
Geosci. Model Dev., 17, 5641–5655, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-17-5641-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-17-5641-2024, 2024
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We propose two explicit expressions to calculate the settling speed of solid atmospheric particles with prolate spheroidal shapes. The first formulation is based on theoretical arguments only, while the second one is based on computational fluid dynamics calculations. We show that the first method is suitable for virtually all atmospheric aerosols, provided their shape can be adequately described as a prolate spheroid, and we provide an implementation of the first method in AerSett v2.0.2.
Stelios Myriokefalitakis, Matthias Karl, Kim A. Weiss, Dimitris Karagiannis, Eleni Athanasopoulou, Anastasia Kakouri, Aikaterini Bougiatioti, Eleni Liakakou, Iasonas Stavroulas, Georgios Papangelis, Georgios Grivas, Despina Paraskevopoulou, Orestis Speyer, Nikolaos Mihalopoulos, and Evangelos Gerasopoulos
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 7815–7835, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-7815-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-7815-2024, 2024
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A state-of-the-art thermodynamic model has been coupled with the city-scale chemistry transport model EPISODE–CityChem to investigate the equilibrium between the inorganic gas and aerosol phases over the greater Athens area, Greece. The simulations indicate that the formation of nitrates in an urban environment is significantly affected by local nitrogen oxide emissions, as well as ambient temperature, relative humidity, photochemical activity, and the presence of non-volatile cations.
Claire L. Ryder, Clément Bézier, Helen F. Dacre, Rory Clarkson, Vassilis Amiridis, Eleni Marinou, Emmanouil Proestakis, Zak Kipling, Angela Benedetti, Mark Parrington, Samuel Rémy, and Mark Vaughan
Nat. Hazards Earth Syst. Sci., 24, 2263–2284, https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-24-2263-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-24-2263-2024, 2024
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Desert dust poses a hazard to aircraft via degradation of engine components. This has financial implications for the aviation industry and results in increased fuel burn with climate impacts. Here we quantify dust ingestion by aircraft engines at airports worldwide. We find Dubai and Delhi in summer are among the dustiest airports, where substantial engine degradation would occur after 1000 flights. Dust ingestion can be reduced by changing take-off times and the altitude of holding patterns.
Emmanouil Proestakis, Antonis Gkikas, Thanasis Georgiou, Anna Kampouri, Eleni Drakaki, Claire L. Ryder, Franco Marenco, Eleni Marinou, and Vassilis Amiridis
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 17, 3625–3667, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-3625-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-3625-2024, 2024
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A new four-dimensional, multiyear, and near-global climate data record of the fine-mode (submicrometer diameter) and coarse-mode (supermicrometer diameter) components of atmospheric pure dust is presented. The dataset is considered unique with respect to a wide range of potential applications, including climatological, time series, and trend analysis over extensive geographical domains and temporal periods, validation of atmospheric dust models and datasets, and air quality.
Ilias Fountoulakis, Alexandra Tsekeri, Stelios Kazadzis, Vassilis Amiridis, Angelos Nersesian, Maria Tsichla, Emmanouil Proestakis, Antonis Gkikas, Kyriakoula Papachristopoulou, Vasileios Barlakas, Claudia Emde, and Bernhard Mayer
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 4915–4948, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-4915-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-4915-2024, 2024
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In our study we provide an assessment, through a sensitivity study, of the limitations of models to calculate the dust direct radiative effect (DRE) due to the underrepresentation of its size, refractive index (RI), and shape. Our results indicate the necessity of including more realistic sizes and RIs for dust particles in dust models, in order to derive better estimations of the dust direct radiative effects.
Alkistis Papetta, Franco Marenco, Maria Kezoudi, Rodanthi-Elisavet Mamouri, Argyro Nisantzi, Holger Baars, Ioana Elisabeta Popovici, Philippe Goloub, Stéphane Victori, and Jean Sciare
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 17, 1721–1738, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-1721-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-1721-2024, 2024
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We propose a method to determine depolarization parameters using observations from a reference instrument at a nearby location, needed for systems where a priori knowledge of cross-talk parameters is not available. It uses three-parameter equations to compare VDR between two co-located lidars at dust and molecular layers. It can be applied retrospectively to existing data acquired during campaigns. Its application to Cimel CE376 corrected VDR bias at high- and low-depolarizing layers.
Yunsong Liu, Jean-Daniel Paris, Gregoire Broquet, Violeta Bescós Roy, Tania Meixus Fernandez, Rasmus Andersen, Andrés Russu Berlanga, Emil Christensen, Yann Courtois, Sebastian Dominok, Corentin Dussenne, Travis Eckert, Andrew Finlayson, Aurora Fernández de la Fuente, Catlin Gunn, Ram Hashmonay, Juliano Grigoleto Hayashi, Jonathan Helmore, Soeren Honsel, Fabrizio Innocenti, Matti Irjala, Torgrim Log, Cristina Lopez, Francisco Cortés Martínez, Jonathan Martinez, Adrien Massardier, Helle Gottschalk Nygaard, Paula Agregan Reboredo, Elodie Rousset, Axel Scherello, Matthias Ulbricht, Damien Weidmann, Oliver Williams, Nigel Yarrow, Murès Zarea, Robert Ziegler, Jean Sciare, Mihalis Vrekoussis, and Philippe Bousquet
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 17, 1633–1649, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-1633-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-1633-2024, 2024
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We investigated the performance of 10 methane emission quantification techniques in a blind controlled-release experiment at an inerted natural gas compressor station. We reported their respective strengths, weaknesses, and potential complementarity depending on the emission rates and atmospheric conditions. Additionally, we assess the dependence of emission quantification performance on key parameters such as wind speed, deployment constraints, and measurement duration.
Andrea Cuesta-Mosquera, Kristina Glojek, Griša Močnik, Luka Drinovec, Asta Gregorič, Martin Rigler, Matej Ogrin, Baseerat Romshoo, Kay Weinhold, Maik Merkel, Dominik van Pinxteren, Hartmut Herrmann, Alfred Wiedensohler, Mira Pöhlker, and Thomas Müller
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 2583–2605, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-2583-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-2583-2024, 2024
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This study evaluated the air pollution and climate impacts of residential-wood-burning particle emissions from a rural European site. The authors investigate the optical and physical properties that connect the aerosol emissions with climate by evaluating atmospheric radiative impacts via simple-forcing calculations. The study contributes to reducing the lack of information on the understanding of the optical properties of air pollution from anthropogenic sources.
Natalie M. Mahowald, Longlei Li, Julius Vira, Marje Prank, Douglas S. Hamilton, Hitoshi Matsui, Ron L. Miller, Louis Lu, Ezgi Akyuz, Daphne Meidan, Peter Hess, Heikki Lihavainen, Christine Wiedinmyer, Jenny Hand, Maria Grazia Alaimo, Célia Alves, Andres Alastuey, Paulo Artaxo, Africa Barreto, Francisco Barraza, Silvia Becagli, Giulia Calzolai, Shankarararman Chellam, Ying Chen, Patrick Chuang, David D. Cohen, Cristina Colombi, Evangelia Diapouli, Gaetano Dongarra, Konstantinos Eleftheriadis, Corinne Galy-Lacaux, Cassandra Gaston, Dario Gomez, Yenny González Ramos, Hannele Hakola, Roy M. Harrison, Chris Heyes, Barak Herut, Philip Hopke, Christoph Hüglin, Maria Kanakidou, Zsofia Kertesz, Zbiginiw Klimont, Katriina Kyllönen, Fabrice Lambert, Xiaohong Liu, Remi Losno, Franco Lucarelli, Willy Maenhaut, Beatrice Marticorena, Randall V. Martin, Nikolaos Mihalopoulos, Yasser Morera-Gomez, Adina Paytan, Joseph Prospero, Sergio Rodríguez, Patricia Smichowski, Daniela Varrica, Brenna Walsh, Crystal Weagle, and Xi Zhao
Earth Syst. Sci. Data Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-2024-1, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-2024-1, 2024
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Aerosol particles can interact with incoming solar radiation and outgoing long wave radiation, change cloud properties, affect photochemistry, impact surface air quality, and when deposited impact surface albedo of snow and ice, and modulate carbon dioxide uptake by the land and ocean. Here we present a new compilation of aerosol observations including composition, a methodology for comparing the datasets to model output, and show the implications of these results using one model.
Xiaoxia Shang, Antti Lipponen, Maria Filioglou, Anu-Maija Sundström, Mark Parrington, Virginie Buchard, Anton S. Darmenov, Ellsworth J. Welton, Eleni Marinou, Vassilis Amiridis, Michael Sicard, Alejandro Rodríguez-Gómez, Mika Komppula, and Tero Mielonen
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 1329–1344, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-1329-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-1329-2024, 2024
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In June 2019, smoke particles from a Canadian wildfire event were transported to Europe. The long-range-transported smoke plumes were monitored with a spaceborne lidar and reanalysis models. Based on the aerosol mass concentrations estimated from the observations, the reanalysis models had difficulties in reproducing the amount and location of the smoke aerosols during the transport event. Consequently, more spaceborne lidar missions are needed for reliable monitoring of aerosol plumes.
Nansi Fakhri, Robin Stevens, Arnold Downey, Konstantina Oikonomou, Jean Sciare, Charbel Afif, and Patrick L. Hayes
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 1193–1212, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-1193-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-1193-2024, 2024
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We investigated the chemical composition of atmospheric fine particles, their emission sources, and the potential human health risk associated with trace elements in particles for an urban site in Montréal over a 3-month period (August–November). This study represents the first time that such extensive composition measurements were included in an urban source apportionment study in Canada, and it provides greater resolution of fine-particle sources than has been previously achieved in Canada.
Andreas Aktypis, Christos Kaltsonoudis, David Patoulias, Panayiotis Kalkavouras, Angeliki Matrali, Christina N. Vasilakopoulou, Evangelia Kostenidou, Kalliopi Florou, Nikos Kalivitis, Aikaterini Bougiatioti, Konstantinos Eleftheriadis, Stergios Vratolis, Maria I. Gini, Athanasios Kouras, Constantini Samara, Mihalis Lazaridis, Sofia-Eirini Chatoutsidou, Nikolaos Mihalopoulos, and Spyros N. Pandis
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 65–84, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-65-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-65-2024, 2024
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Extensive continuous particle number size distribution measurements took place during two summers (2020 and 2021) at 11 sites in Greece for the investigation of the frequency and the spatial extent of new particle formation. The frequency during summer varied from close to zero in southwestern Greece to more than 60 % in the northern, central, and eastern regions. The spatial variability can be explained by the proximity of the sites to coal-fired power plants and agricultural areas.
Alexandra Tsekeri, Anna Gialitaki, Marco Di Paolantonio, Davide Dionisi, Gian Luigi Liberti, Alnilam Fernandes, Artur Szkop, Aleksander Pietruczuk, Daniel Pérez-Ramírez, Maria J. Granados Muñoz, Juan Luis Guerrero-Rascado, Lucas Alados-Arboledas, Diego Bermejo Pantaleón, Juan Antonio Bravo-Aranda, Anna Kampouri, Eleni Marinou, Vassilis Amiridis, Michael Sicard, Adolfo Comerón, Constantino Muñoz-Porcar, Alejandro Rodríguez-Gómez, Salvatore Romano, Maria Rita Perrone, Xiaoxia Shang, Mika Komppula, Rodanthi-Elisavet Mamouri, Argyro Nisantzi, Diofantos Hadjimitsis, Francisco Navas-Guzmán, Alexander Haefele, Dominika Szczepanik, Artur Tomczak, Iwona S. Stachlewska, Livio Belegante, Doina Nicolae, Kalliopi Artemis Voudouri, Dimitris Balis, Athena A. Floutsi, Holger Baars, Linda Miladi, Nicolas Pascal, Oleg Dubovik, and Anton Lopatin
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 16, 6025–6050, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-16-6025-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-16-6025-2023, 2023
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EARLINET/ACTRIS organized an intensive observational campaign in May 2020, with the objective of monitoring the atmospheric state over Europe during the COVID-19 lockdown and relaxation period. The work presented herein focuses on deriving a common methodology for applying a synergistic retrieval that utilizes the network's ground-based passive and active remote sensing measurements and deriving the aerosols from anthropogenic activities over Europe.
Jianing Dai, Guy P. Brasseur, Mihalis Vrekoussis, Maria Kanakidou, Kun Qu, Yijuan Zhang, Hongliang Zhang, and Tao Wang
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 23, 14127–14158, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-14127-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-14127-2023, 2023
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In this study, we used a regional chemical transport model to characterize the different parameters of atmospheric oxidative capacity in recent chemical environments in China. These parameters include the production and destruction rates of ozone and other oxidants, the ozone production efficiency, the OH reactivity, and the length of the reaction chain responsible for the formation of ozone and ROx. They are also affected by the aerosol burden in the atmosphere.
Vasiliki Daskalopoulou, Panagiotis I. Raptis, Alexandra Tsekeri, Vassilis Amiridis, Stelios Kazadzis, Zbigniew Ulanowski, Vassilis Charmandaris, Konstantinos Tassis, and William Martin
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 16, 4529–4550, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-16-4529-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-16-4529-2023, 2023
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Atmospheric dust particles may present a preferential alignment due to their shape on long range transport. Since dust is abundant and plays a key role to global climate, the elusive observation of orientation will be a game changer to existing measurement techniques and the representation of particles in climate models. We utilize a specifically designed instrument, SolPol, and target the Sun from the ground for large polarization values under dusty conditions, a clear sign of orientation.
Valeria Mardoñez, Marco Pandolfi, Lucille Joanna S. Borlaza, Jean-Luc Jaffrezo, Andrés Alastuey, Jean-Luc Besombes, Isabel Moreno R., Noemi Perez, Griša Močnik, Patrick Ginot, Radovan Krejci, Vladislav Chrastny, Alfred Wiedensohler, Paolo Laj, Marcos Andrade, and Gaëlle Uzu
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 23, 10325–10347, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-10325-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-10325-2023, 2023
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La Paz and El Alto are two fast-growing, high-altitude Bolivian cities forming the second-largest metropolitan area in the country. The sources of particulate matter (PM) in this conurbation were not previously investigated. This study identified 11 main sources of PM, of which dust and vehicular emissions stand out as the main ones. The influence of regional biomass combustion and local waste combustion was also observed, with the latter being a major source of hazardous compounds.
Jean-Philippe Putaud, Enrico Pisoni, Alexander Mangold, Christoph Hueglin, Jean Sciare, Michael Pikridas, Chrysanthos Savvides, Jakub Ondracek, Saliou Mbengue, Alfred Wiedensohler, Kay Weinhold, Maik Merkel, Laurent Poulain, Dominik van Pinxteren, Hartmut Herrmann, Andreas Massling, Claus Nordstroem, Andrés Alastuey, Cristina Reche, Noemí Pérez, Sonia Castillo, Mar Sorribas, Jose Antonio Adame, Tuukka Petaja, Katrianne Lehtipalo, Jarkko Niemi, Véronique Riffault, Joel F. de Brito, Augustin Colette, Olivier Favez, Jean-Eudes Petit, Valérie Gros, Maria I. Gini, Stergios Vratolis, Konstantinos Eleftheriadis, Evangelia Diapouli, Hugo Denier van der Gon, Karl Espen Yttri, and Wenche Aas
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 23, 10145–10161, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-10145-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-10145-2023, 2023
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Many European people are still exposed to levels of air pollution that can affect their health. COVID-19 lockdowns in 2020 were used to assess the impact of the reduction in human mobility on air pollution across Europe by comparing measurement data with values that would be expected if no lockdown had occurred. We show that lockdown measures did not lead to consistent decreases in the concentrations of fine particulate matter suspended in the air, and we investigate why.
Akriti Masoom, Ilias Fountoulakis, Stelios Kazadzis, Ioannis-Panagiotis Raptis, Anna Kampouri, Basil E. Psiloglou, Dimitra Kouklaki, Kyriakoula Papachristopoulou, Eleni Marinou, Stavros Solomos, Anna Gialitaki, Dimitra Founda, Vasileios Salamalikis, Dimitris Kaskaoutis, Natalia Kouremeti, Nikolaos Mihalopoulos, Vassilis Amiridis, Andreas Kazantzidis, Alexandros Papayannis, Christos S. Zerefos, and Kostas Eleftheratos
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 23, 8487–8514, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-8487-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-8487-2023, 2023
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We analyse the spatial and temporal aerosol spectral optical properties during the extreme wildfires of August 2021 in Greece and assess their effects on air quality and solar radiation quantities related to health, agriculture, and energy. Different aerosol conditions are identified (pure smoke, pure dust, dust–smoke together); the largest impact on solar radiation quantities is found for cases with mixed dust–smoke aerosols. Such situations are expected to occur more frequently in the future.
Kun Qu, Xuesong Wang, Xuhui Cai, Yu Yan, Xipeng Jin, Mihalis Vrekoussis, Maria Kanakidou, Guy P. Brasseur, Jin Shen, Teng Xiao, Limin Zeng, and Yuanhang Zhang
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 23, 7653–7671, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-7653-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-7653-2023, 2023
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Basic understandings of ozone processes, especially transport and chemistry, are essential to support ozone pollution control, but studies often have different views on their relative importance. We developed a method to quantify their contributions in the ozone mass and concentration budgets based on the WRF-CMAQ model. Results in a polluted region highlight the differences between two budgets. For future studies, two budgets are both needed to fully understand the effects of ozone processes.
Roubina Papaconstantinou, Marios Demosthenous, Spyros Bezantakos, Neoclis Hadjigeorgiou, Marinos Costi, Melina Stylianou, Elli Symeou, Chrysanthos Savvides, and George Biskos
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 16, 3313–3329, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-16-3313-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-16-3313-2023, 2023
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In this paper, we investigate the performance of low-cost electrochemical gas sensors. We carried out yearlong measurements at a traffic air quality monitoring station, where the low-cost sensors were collocated with reference instruments and exposed to highly variable environmental conditions with extremely high temperatures and low relative humidity (RH). Sensors provide measurements that exhibit increasing errors and decreasing correlations as temperature increases and RH decreases.
Aliki Christodoulou, Iasonas Stavroulas, Mihalis Vrekoussis, Maximillien Desservettaz, Michael Pikridas, Elie Bimenyimana, Jonilda Kushta, Matic Ivančič, Martin Rigler, Philippe Goloub, Konstantina Oikonomou, Roland Sarda-Estève, Chrysanthos Savvides, Charbel Afif, Nikos Mihalopoulos, Stéphane Sauvage, and Jean Sciare
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 23, 6431–6456, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-6431-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-6431-2023, 2023
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Our study presents, for the first time, a detailed source identification of aerosols at an urban background site in Cyprus (eastern Mediterranean), a region strongly impacted by climate change and air pollution. Here, we identify an unexpected high contribution of long-range transported pollution from fossil fuel sources in the Middle East, highlighting an urgent need to further characterize these fast-growing emissions and their impacts on regional atmospheric composition, climate, and health.
Christina N. Vasilakopoulou, Kalliopi Florou, Christos Kaltsonoudis, Iasonas Stavroulas, Nikolaos Mihalopoulos, and Spyros N. Pandis
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 16, 2837–2850, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-16-2837-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-16-2837-2023, 2023
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The offline aerosol mass spectrometry technique is a useful tool for the source apportionment of organic aerosol in areas and periods during which an aerosol mass spectrometer is not available. In this work, an improved offline technique was developed and evaluated in an effort to capture most of the partially soluble and insoluble organic aerosol material, reducing the uncertainty of the corresponding source apportionment significantly.
Athena Augusta Floutsi, Holger Baars, Ronny Engelmann, Dietrich Althausen, Albert Ansmann, Stephanie Bohlmann, Birgit Heese, Julian Hofer, Thomas Kanitz, Moritz Haarig, Kevin Ohneiser, Martin Radenz, Patric Seifert, Annett Skupin, Zhenping Yin, Sabur F. Abdullaev, Mika Komppula, Maria Filioglou, Elina Giannakaki, Iwona S. Stachlewska, Lucja Janicka, Daniele Bortoli, Eleni Marinou, Vassilis Amiridis, Anna Gialitaki, Rodanthi-Elisavet Mamouri, Boris Barja, and Ulla Wandinger
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 16, 2353–2379, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-16-2353-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-16-2353-2023, 2023
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DeLiAn is a collection of lidar-derived aerosol intensive optical properties for several aerosol types, namely the particle linear depolarization ratio, the extinction-to-backscatter ratio (lidar ratio) and the Ångström exponent. The data collection is based on globally distributed, long-term, ground-based, multiwavelength, Raman and polarization lidar measurements and currently covers two wavelengths, 355 and 532 nm, for 13 aerosol categories ranging from basic aerosol types to mixtures.
Pantelis Kiriakidis, Antonis Gkikas, Georgios Papangelis, Theodoros Christoudias, Jonilda Kushta, Emmanouil Proestakis, Anna Kampouri, Eleni Marinou, Eleni Drakaki, Angela Benedetti, Michael Rennie, Christian Retscher, Anne Grete Straume, Alexandru Dandocsi, Jean Sciare, and Vasilis Amiridis
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 23, 4391–4417, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-4391-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-4391-2023, 2023
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With the launch of the Aeolus satellite, higher-accuracy wind products became available. This research was carried out to validate the assimilated wind products by testing their effect on the WRF-Chem model predictive ability of dust processes. This was carried out for the eastern Mediterranean and Middle East region for two 2-month periods in autumn and spring 2020. The use of the assimilated products improved the dust forecasts of the autumn season (both quantitatively and qualitatively).
Brendan Byrne, David F. Baker, Sourish Basu, Michael Bertolacci, Kevin W. Bowman, Dustin Carroll, Abhishek Chatterjee, Frédéric Chevallier, Philippe Ciais, Noel Cressie, David Crisp, Sean Crowell, Feng Deng, Zhu Deng, Nicholas M. Deutscher, Manvendra K. Dubey, Sha Feng, Omaira E. García, David W. T. Griffith, Benedikt Herkommer, Lei Hu, Andrew R. Jacobson, Rajesh Janardanan, Sujong Jeong, Matthew S. Johnson, Dylan B. A. Jones, Rigel Kivi, Junjie Liu, Zhiqiang Liu, Shamil Maksyutov, John B. Miller, Scot M. Miller, Isamu Morino, Justus Notholt, Tomohiro Oda, Christopher W. O'Dell, Young-Suk Oh, Hirofumi Ohyama, Prabir K. Patra, Hélène Peiro, Christof Petri, Sajeev Philip, David F. Pollard, Benjamin Poulter, Marine Remaud, Andrew Schuh, Mahesh K. Sha, Kei Shiomi, Kimberly Strong, Colm Sweeney, Yao Té, Hanqin Tian, Voltaire A. Velazco, Mihalis Vrekoussis, Thorsten Warneke, John R. Worden, Debra Wunch, Yuanzhi Yao, Jeongmin Yun, Andrew Zammit-Mangion, and Ning Zeng
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 15, 963–1004, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-15-963-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-15-963-2023, 2023
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Changes in the carbon stocks of terrestrial ecosystems result in emissions and removals of CO2. These can be driven by anthropogenic activities (e.g., deforestation), natural processes (e.g., fires) or in response to rising CO2 (e.g., CO2 fertilization). This paper describes a dataset of CO2 emissions and removals derived from atmospheric CO2 observations. This pilot dataset informs current capabilities and future developments towards top-down monitoring and verification systems.
Antonis Gkikas, Anna Gialitaki, Ioannis Binietoglou, Eleni Marinou, Maria Tsichla, Nikolaos Siomos, Peristera Paschou, Anna Kampouri, Kalliopi Artemis Voudouri, Emmanouil Proestakis, Maria Mylonaki, Christina-Anna Papanikolaou, Konstantinos Michailidis, Holger Baars, Anne Grete Straume, Dimitris Balis, Alexandros Papayannis, Tomasso Parrinello, and Vassilis Amiridis
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 16, 1017–1042, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-16-1017-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-16-1017-2023, 2023
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We perform an assessment analysis of the Aeolus Standard Correct Algorithm (SCA) backscatter coefficient retrievals against reference observations acquired at three Greek lidar stations (Athens, Thessaloniki and Antikythera) of the PANACEA network. Overall, 43 cases are analysed, whereas specific aerosol scenarios in the vicinity of Antikythera island (SW Greece) are emphasised. All key Cal/Val aspects and recommendations, and the ongoing related activities, are thoroughly discussed.
Konstantinos Michailidis, Maria-Elissavet Koukouli, Dimitris Balis, J. Pepijn Veefkind, Martin de Graaf, Lucia Mona, Nikolaos Papagianopoulos, Gesolmina Pappalardo, Ioanna Tsikoudi, Vassilis Amiridis, Eleni Marinou, Anna Gialitaki, Rodanthi-Elisavet Mamouri, Argyro Nisantzi, Daniele Bortoli, Maria João Costa, Vanda Salgueiro, Alexandros Papayannis, Maria Mylonaki, Lucas Alados-Arboledas, Salvatore Romano, Maria Rita Perrone, and Holger Baars
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 23, 1919–1940, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-1919-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-1919-2023, 2023
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Comparisons with ground-based correlative lidar measurements constitute a key component in the validation of satellite aerosol products. This paper presents the validation of the TROPOMI aerosol layer height (ALH) product, using archived quality assured ground-based data from lidar stations that belong to the EARLINET network. Comparisons between the TROPOMI ALH and co-located EARLINET measurements show good agreement over the ocean.
Eric Förster, Harald Bönisch, Marco Neumaier, Florian Obersteiner, Andreas Zahn, Andreas Hilboll, Anna B. Kalisz Hedegaard, Nikos Daskalakis, Alexandros Panagiotis Poulidis, Mihalis Vrekoussis, Michael Lichtenstern, and Peter Braesicke
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 23, 1893–1918, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-1893-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-1893-2023, 2023
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The airborne megacity campaign EMeRGe provided an unprecedented amount of trace gas measurements. We combine measured volatile organic compounds (VOCs) with trajectory-modelled emission uptakes to identify potential source regions of pollution. We also characterise the chemical fingerprints (e.g. biomass burning and anthropogenic signatures) of the probed air masses to corroborate the contributing source regions. Our approach is the first large-scale study of VOCs originating from megacities.
Marios Chatziparaschos, Nikos Daskalakis, Stelios Myriokefalitakis, Nikos Kalivitis, Athanasios Nenes, María Gonçalves Ageitos, Montserrat Costa-Surós, Carlos Pérez García-Pando, Medea Zanoli, Mihalis Vrekoussis, and Maria Kanakidou
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 23, 1785–1801, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-1785-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-1785-2023, 2023
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Ice formation is enabled by ice-nucleating particles (INP) at higher temperatures than homogeneous formation and can profoundly affect the properties of clouds. Our global model results show that K-feldspar is the most important contributor to INP concentrations globally, affecting mid-level mixed-phase clouds. However, quartz can significantly contribute and dominates the lowest and the highest altitudes of dust-derived INP, affecting mainly low-level and high-level mixed-phase clouds.
Christina Vasilakopoulou, Iasonas Stavroulas, Nikolaos Mihalopoulos, and Spyros N. Pandis
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 15, 6419–6431, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-6419-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-6419-2022, 2022
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Offline aerosol mass spectrometer (AMS) measurements can provide valuable information about ambient organic aerosols when online AMS measurements are not available. In this study, we examine whether and how the low time resolution (usually 24 h) of the offline technique affects source apportionment results. We concluded that use of the daily averages resulted in estimated average contributions that were within 8 % of the total OA compared with the high-resolution analysis.
Ville Leinonen, Harri Kokkola, Taina Yli-Juuti, Tero Mielonen, Thomas Kühn, Tuomo Nieminen, Simo Heikkinen, Tuuli Miinalainen, Tommi Bergman, Ken Carslaw, Stefano Decesari, Markus Fiebig, Tareq Hussein, Niku Kivekäs, Radovan Krejci, Markku Kulmala, Ari Leskinen, Andreas Massling, Nikos Mihalopoulos, Jane P. Mulcahy, Steffen M. Noe, Twan van Noije, Fiona M. O'Connor, Colin O'Dowd, Dirk Olivie, Jakob B. Pernov, Tuukka Petäjä, Øyvind Seland, Michael Schulz, Catherine E. Scott, Henrik Skov, Erik Swietlicki, Thomas Tuch, Alfred Wiedensohler, Annele Virtanen, and Santtu Mikkonen
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 22, 12873–12905, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-12873-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-12873-2022, 2022
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We provide the first extensive comparison of detailed aerosol size distribution trends between in situ observations from Europe and five different earth system models. We investigated aerosol modes (nucleation, Aitken, and accumulation) separately and were able to show the differences between measured and modeled trends and especially their seasonal patterns. The differences in model results are likely due to complex effects of several processes instead of certain specific model features.
Eleni Drakaki, Vassilis Amiridis, Alexandra Tsekeri, Antonis Gkikas, Emmanouil Proestakis, Sotirios Mallios, Stavros Solomos, Christos Spyrou, Eleni Marinou, Claire L. Ryder, Demetri Bouris, and Petros Katsafados
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 22, 12727–12748, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-12727-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-12727-2022, 2022
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State-of-the-art atmospheric dust models have limitations in accounting for a realistic dust size distribution (emission, transport). We modify the parameterization of the mineral dust cycle by including particles with diameter >20 μm, as indicated by observations over deserts. Moreover, we investigate the effects of reduced settling velocities of dust particles. Model results are evaluated using airborne and spaceborne dust measurements above Cabo Verde.
Charlotte M. Beall, Thomas C. J. Hill, Paul J. DeMott, Tobias Köneman, Michael Pikridas, Frank Drewnick, Hartwig Harder, Christopher Pöhlker, Jos Lelieveld, Bettina Weber, Minas Iakovides, Roman Prokeš, Jean Sciare, Meinrat O. Andreae, M. Dale Stokes, and Kimberly A. Prather
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 22, 12607–12627, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-12607-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-12607-2022, 2022
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Ice-nucleating particles (INPs) are rare aerosols that can trigger ice formation in clouds and affect climate-relevant cloud properties such as phase, reflectivity and lifetime. Dust is the dominant INP source, yet few measurements have been reported near major dust sources. We report INP observations within hundreds of kilometers of the biggest dust source regions globally: the Sahara and the Arabian Peninsula. Results show that at temperatures > −15 °C, INPs are dominated by organics.
Marta Via, Gang Chen, Francesco Canonaco, Kaspar R. Daellenbach, Benjamin Chazeau, Hasna Chebaicheb, Jianhui Jiang, Hannes Keernik, Chunshui Lin, Nicolas Marchand, Cristina Marin, Colin O'Dowd, Jurgita Ovadnevaite, Jean-Eudes Petit, Michael Pikridas, Véronique Riffault, Jean Sciare, Jay G. Slowik, Leïla Simon, Jeni Vasilescu, Yunjiang Zhang, Olivier Favez, André S. H. Prévôt, Andrés Alastuey, and María Cruz Minguillón
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 15, 5479–5495, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-5479-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-5479-2022, 2022
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This work presents the differences resulting from two techniques (rolling and seasonal) of the positive matrix factorisation model that can be run for organic aerosol source apportionment. The current state of the art suggests that the rolling technique is more accurate, but no proof of its effectiveness has been provided yet. This paper tackles this issue in the context of a synthetic dataset and a multi-site real-world comparison.
Anthony Rey-Pommier, Frédéric Chevallier, Philippe Ciais, Grégoire Broquet, Theodoros Christoudias, Jonilda Kushta, Didier Hauglustaine, and Jean Sciare
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 22, 11505–11527, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-11505-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-11505-2022, 2022
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Emission inventories for air pollutants can be uncertain in developing countries. In order to overcome these uncertainties, we model nitrogen oxide emissions in Egypt using satellite retrievals. We detect a weekly cycle reflecting Egyptian social norms, an annual cycle consistent with electricity consumption and an activity drop due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, discrepancies with inventories remain high, illustrating the needs for additional data to improve the potential of our method.
Yunsong Liu, Jean-Daniel Paris, Mihalis Vrekoussis, Panayiota Antoniou, Christos Constantinides, Maximilien Desservettaz, Christos Keleshis, Olivier Laurent, Andreas Leonidou, Carole Philippon, Panagiotis Vouterakos, Pierre-Yves Quéhé, Philippe Bousquet, and Jean Sciare
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 15, 4431–4442, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-4431-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-4431-2022, 2022
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This paper details laboratory-based and field developments of a cost-effective and compacted UAV CO2 sensor system to address the challenge of measuring CO2 with sufficient precision and acquisition frequency. We assess its performance extensively through laboratory and field tests and provide a case study in an urban area (Nicosia, Cyprus). We therefore expect that this portable system will be widely used for measuring CO2 emission and distribution in natural or urban environments.
Stergios Misios, Ioannis Logothetis, Mads F. Knudsen, Christoffer Karoff, Vassilis Amiridis, and Kleareti Tourpali
Weather Clim. Dynam., 3, 811–823, https://doi.org/10.5194/wcd-3-811-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/wcd-3-811-2022, 2022
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We investigate the impact of strong volcanic eruptions on the northerly Etesian winds blowing in the eastern Mediterranean. Μodel simulations of the last millennium demonstrate a robust reduction in the total number of days with Etesian winds in the post-eruption summers. The decline in the Etesian winds is attributed to a weakened Indian summer monsoon in the post-eruption summer. These findings could improve seasonal predictions of the wind circulation in the eastern Mediterranean.
Karine Sartelet, Youngseob Kim, Florian Couvidat, Maik Merkel, Tuukka Petäjä, Jean Sciare, and Alfred Wiedensohler
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 22, 8579–8596, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-8579-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-8579-2022, 2022
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A methodology is defined to estimate number emissions from an inventory providing mass emissions. Number concentrations are simulated over Greater Paris using different nucleation parameterisations (binary, ternary involving sulfuric acid and ammonia, and heteromolecular involving sulfuric acid and extremely low-volatility organics, ELVOCs). The comparisons show that ternary nucleation may not be a dominant process for new particle formation in cities, but they stress the role of ELVOCs.
Luka Drinovec, Uroš Jagodič, Luka Pirker, Miha Škarabot, Mario Kurtjak, Kristijan Vidović, Luca Ferrero, Bradley Visser, Jannis Röhrbein, Ernest Weingartner, Daniel M. Kalbermatter, Konstantina Vasilatou, Tobias Bühlmann, Celine Pascale, Thomas Müller, Alfred Wiedensohler, and Griša Močnik
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 15, 3805–3825, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-3805-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-3805-2022, 2022
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A new photothermal interferometer (PTAAM-2λ) for artefact-free determination of the aerosol absorption coefficient at two wavelengths is presented. The instrument is calibrated with NO2 and polydisperse nigrosin, resulting in very low uncertainties of the absorption coefficients: 4 % at 532 nm and 6 % at 1064 nm. The instrument’s performance makes the PTAAM-2λ a strong candidate for reference measurements of the aerosol absorption coefficient.
Stefan Noël, Maximilian Reuter, Michael Buchwitz, Jakob Borchardt, Michael Hilker, Oliver Schneising, Heinrich Bovensmann, John P. Burrows, Antonio Di Noia, Robert J. Parker, Hiroshi Suto, Yukio Yoshida, Matthias Buschmann, Nicholas M. Deutscher, Dietrich G. Feist, David W. T. Griffith, Frank Hase, Rigel Kivi, Cheng Liu, Isamu Morino, Justus Notholt, Young-Suk Oh, Hirofumi Ohyama, Christof Petri, David F. Pollard, Markus Rettinger, Coleen Roehl, Constantina Rousogenous, Mahesh Kumar Sha, Kei Shiomi, Kimberly Strong, Ralf Sussmann, Yao Té, Voltaire A. Velazco, Mihalis Vrekoussis, and Thorsten Warneke
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 15, 3401–3437, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-3401-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-3401-2022, 2022
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We present a new version (v3) of the GOSAT and GOSAT-2 FOCAL products.
In addition to an increased number of XCO2 data, v3 also includes products for XCH4 (full-physics and proxy), XH2O and the relative ratio of HDO to H2O (δD). For GOSAT-2, we also present first XCO and XN2O results. All FOCAL data products show reasonable spatial distribution and temporal variations and agree well with TCCON. Global XN2O maps show a gradient from the tropics to higher latitudes on the order of 15 ppb.
George K. Georgiou, Theodoros Christoudias, Yiannis Proestos, Jonilda Kushta, Michael Pikridas, Jean Sciare, Chrysanthos Savvides, and Jos Lelieveld
Geosci. Model Dev., 15, 4129–4146, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-15-4129-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-15-4129-2022, 2022
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We evaluate the skill of the WRF-Chem model to perform high-resolution air quality forecasts (including ozone, nitrogen dioxide, and fine particulate matter) over the Eastern Mediterranean, during winter and summer. We compare the forecast output to observational data from background and urban locations and the forecast output from CAMS. WRF-Chem was found to forecast the concentrations and diurnal profiles of gas-phase pollutants in urban areas with higher accuracy.
M. Dolores Andrés Hernández, Andreas Hilboll, Helmut Ziereis, Eric Förster, Ovid O. Krüger, Katharina Kaiser, Johannes Schneider, Francesca Barnaba, Mihalis Vrekoussis, Jörg Schmidt, Heidi Huntrieser, Anne-Marlene Blechschmidt, Midhun George, Vladyslav Nenakhov, Theresa Harlass, Bruna A. Holanda, Jennifer Wolf, Lisa Eirenschmalz, Marc Krebsbach, Mira L. Pöhlker, Anna B. Kalisz Hedegaard, Linlu Mei, Klaus Pfeilsticker, Yangzhuoran Liu, Ralf Koppmann, Hans Schlager, Birger Bohn, Ulrich Schumann, Andreas Richter, Benjamin Schreiner, Daniel Sauer, Robert Baumann, Mariano Mertens, Patrick Jöckel, Markus Kilian, Greta Stratmann, Christopher Pöhlker, Monica Campanelli, Marco Pandolfi, Michael Sicard, José L. Gómez-Amo, Manuel Pujadas, Katja Bigge, Flora Kluge, Anja Schwarz, Nikos Daskalakis, David Walter, Andreas Zahn, Ulrich Pöschl, Harald Bönisch, Stephan Borrmann, Ulrich Platt, and John P. Burrows
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 22, 5877–5924, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-5877-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-5877-2022, 2022
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EMeRGe provides a unique set of in situ and remote sensing airborne measurements of trace gases and aerosol particles along selected flight routes in the lower troposphere over Europe. The interpretation uses also complementary collocated ground-based and satellite measurements. The collected data help to improve the current understanding of the complex spatial distribution of trace gases and aerosol particles resulting from mixing, transport, and transformation of pollution plumes over Europe.
Kristina Glojek, Griša Močnik, Honey Dawn C. Alas, Andrea Cuesta-Mosquera, Luka Drinovec, Asta Gregorič, Matej Ogrin, Kay Weinhold, Irena Ježek, Thomas Müller, Martin Rigler, Maja Remškar, Dominik van Pinxteren, Hartmut Herrmann, Martina Ristorini, Maik Merkel, Miha Markelj, and Alfred Wiedensohler
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 22, 5577–5601, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-5577-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-5577-2022, 2022
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A pilot study to determine the emissions of wood burning under
real-world laboratoryconditions was conducted. We found that measured black carbon (eBC) and particulate matter (PM) in rural shallow terrain depressions with residential wood burning could be much greater than predicted by models. The exceeding levels are a cause for concern since similar conditions can be expected in numerous hilly and mountainous regions across Europe, where approximately 20 % of the total population lives.
Peristera Paschou, Nikolaos Siomos, Alexandra Tsekeri, Alexandros Louridas, George Georgoussis, Volker Freudenthaler, Ioannis Binietoglou, George Tsaknakis, Alexandros Tavernarakis, Christos Evangelatos, Jonas von Bismarck, Thomas Kanitz, Charikleia Meleti, Eleni Marinou, and Vassilis Amiridis
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 15, 2299–2323, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-2299-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-2299-2022, 2022
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The eVe lidar delivers quality-assured aerosol and cloud optical properties according to the standards of ACTRIS. It is a mobile reference system for the validation of the ESA's Aeolus satellite mission (L2 aerosol and cloud products). eVe provides linear and circular polarisation measurements with Raman capabilities. Here, we describe the system design, the polarisation calibration techniques, and the software for the retrieval of the optical products.
Nikos Daskalakis, Laura Gallardo, Maria Kanakidou, Johann Rasmus Nüß, Camilo Menares, Roberto Rondanelli, Anne M. Thompson, and Mihalis Vrekoussis
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 22, 4075–4099, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-4075-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-4075-2022, 2022
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Forest fires emit carbon monoxide (CO) that can be transported into the atmosphere far from the sources and reacts to produce ozone (O3) that affects climate, ecosystems and health. O3 is also produced in the stratosphere and can be transported downwards. Using a global numerical model, we found that forest fires can affect CO and O3 even in the South Pacific, the most pristine region of the global ocean, but transport from the stratosphere is a more important O3 source than fires in the region.
Antonis Gkikas, Emmanouil Proestakis, Vassilis Amiridis, Stelios Kazadzis, Enza Di Tomaso, Eleni Marinou, Nikos Hatzianastassiou, Jasper F. Kok, and Carlos Pérez García-Pando
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 22, 3553–3578, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-3553-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-3553-2022, 2022
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We present a comprehensive climatological analysis of dust optical depth (DOD) relying on the MIDAS dataset. MIDAS provides columnar mid-visible (550 nm) DOD at fine spatial resolution (0.1° × 0.1°) over a 15-year period (2003–2017). In the current study, the analysis is performed at various spatial (from regional to global) and temporal (from months to years) scales. More specifically, focus is given to specific regions hosting the major dust sources as well as downwind areas of the planet.
Daniel M. Kalbermatter, Griša Močnik, Luka Drinovec, Bradley Visser, Jannis Röhrbein, Matthias Oscity, Ernest Weingartner, Antti-Pekka Hyvärinen, and Konstantina Vasilatou
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 15, 561–572, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-561-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-561-2022, 2022
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Soot particles with varying amounts of secondary organic matter coating were generated and used to compare a series of aerosol-absorption-measuring instruments: filter-based and photoacoustic instruments as well as photo-thermal interferometers. Significant deviations in the response of the instruments were observed depending on the amount of secondary organic coating. The system can be used for the inter-comparison and characterisation of instruments.
Thomas E. Taylor, Christopher W. O'Dell, David Crisp, Akhiko Kuze, Hannakaisa Lindqvist, Paul O. Wennberg, Abhishek Chatterjee, Michael Gunson, Annmarie Eldering, Brendan Fisher, Matthäus Kiel, Robert R. Nelson, Aronne Merrelli, Greg Osterman, Frédéric Chevallier, Paul I. Palmer, Liang Feng, Nicholas M. Deutscher, Manvendra K. Dubey, Dietrich G. Feist, Omaira E. García, David W. T. Griffith, Frank Hase, Laura T. Iraci, Rigel Kivi, Cheng Liu, Martine De Mazière, Isamu Morino, Justus Notholt, Young-Suk Oh, Hirofumi Ohyama, David F. Pollard, Markus Rettinger, Matthias Schneider, Coleen M. Roehl, Mahesh Kumar Sha, Kei Shiomi, Kimberly Strong, Ralf Sussmann, Yao Té, Voltaire A. Velazco, Mihalis Vrekoussis, Thorsten Warneke, and Debra Wunch
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 14, 325–360, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-14-325-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-14-325-2022, 2022
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We provide an analysis of an 11-year record of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) concentrations derived using an optimal estimation retrieval algorithm on measurements made by the GOSAT satellite. The new product (version 9) shows improvement over the previous version (v7.3) as evaluated against independent estimates of CO2 from ground-based sensors and atmospheric inversion systems. We also compare the new GOSAT CO2 values to collocated estimates from NASA's Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2.
Jerónimo Escribano, Enza Di Tomaso, Oriol Jorba, Martina Klose, Maria Gonçalves Ageitos, Francesca Macchia, Vassilis Amiridis, Holger Baars, Eleni Marinou, Emmanouil Proestakis, Claudia Urbanneck, Dietrich Althausen, Johannes Bühl, Rodanthi-Elisavet Mamouri, and Carlos Pérez García-Pando
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 22, 535–560, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-535-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-535-2022, 2022
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We explore the benefits and consistency in adding lidar dust observations in a dust optical depth assimilation. We show that adding lidar data to a dust optical depth assimilation has valuable benefits and the dust analysis improves. We discuss the impact of the narrow satellite footprint of the lidar dust observations on the assimilation.
Kai Tang, Beatriz Sánchez-Parra, Petya Yordanova, Jörn Wehking, Anna T. Backes, Daniel A. Pickersgill, Stefanie Maier, Jean Sciare, Ulrich Pöschl, Bettina Weber, and Janine Fröhlich-Nowoisky
Biogeosciences, 19, 71–91, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-71-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-71-2022, 2022
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Metagenomic sequencing and freezing experiments of aerosol samples collected on Cyprus revealed rain-related short-term changes of bioaerosol and ice nuclei composition. Filtration experiments showed a rain-related enhancement of biological ice nuclei > 5 µm and < 0.1 µm. The observed effects of rainfall on the composition of atmospheric bioaerosols and ice nuclei may influence the hydrological cycle as well as the health effects of air particulate matter (pathogens, allergens).
Martin Hagen, Florian Ewald, Silke Groß, Lothar Oswald, David A. Farrell, Marvin Forde, Manuel Gutleben, Johann Heumos, Jens Reimann, Eleni Tetoni, Gregor Köcher, Eleni Marinou, Christoph Kiemle, Qiang Li, Rebecca Chewitt-Lucas, Alton Daley, Delando Grant, and Kashawn Hall
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 13, 5899–5914, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-13-5899-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-13-5899-2021, 2021
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The German polarimetric weather radar Poldirad was deployed for the international campaign EUREC4A on Barbados. The focus was monitoring clouds and precipitation in the trade wind region east of Barbados. Observations were with a temporal sequence of 5 min and a maximum range of 375 km. Examples of mesoscale precipitation patterns, rain rate accumulation, diurnal cycle, and vertical distribution show the potential for further studies on the life cycle of precipitating shallow cumulus clouds.
Irini Tsiodra, Georgios Grivas, Kalliopi Tavernaraki, Aikaterini Bougiatioti, Maria Apostolaki, Despina Paraskevopoulou, Alexandra Gogou, Constantine Parinos, Konstantina Oikonomou, Maria Tsagkaraki, Pavlos Zarmpas, Athanasios Nenes, and Nikolaos Mihalopoulos
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 21, 17865–17883, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-17865-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-17865-2021, 2021
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We analyze observations from year-long measurements at Athens, Greece. Nighttime wintertime PAH levels are 4 times higher than daytime, and wintertime values are 15 times higher than summertime. Biomass burning aerosol during wintertime pollution events is responsible for these significant wintertime enhancements and accounts for 43 % of the population exposure to PAH carcinogenic risk. Biomass burning poses additional health risks beyond those associated with the high PM levels that develop.
Alexandra Tsekeri, Vassilis Amiridis, Alexandros Louridas, George Georgoussis, Volker Freudenthaler, Spiros Metallinos, George Doxastakis, Josef Gasteiger, Nikolaos Siomos, Peristera Paschou, Thanasis Georgiou, George Tsaknakis, Christos Evangelatos, and Ioannis Binietoglou
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 14, 7453–7474, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-14-7453-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-14-7453-2021, 2021
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Dust orientation in the Earth's atmosphere has been an ongoing investigation in recent years, and its potential proof will be a paradigm shift for dust remote sensing. We have designed and developed a polarization lidar that provides direct measurements of dust orientation, as well as more detailed information of the particle microphysics. We provide a description of its design as well as its first measurements.
Clémence Rose, Martine Collaud Coen, Elisabeth Andrews, Yong Lin, Isaline Bossert, Cathrine Lund Myhre, Thomas Tuch, Alfred Wiedensohler, Markus Fiebig, Pasi Aalto, Andrés Alastuey, Elisabeth Alonso-Blanco, Marcos Andrade, Begoña Artíñano, Todor Arsov, Urs Baltensperger, Susanne Bastian, Olaf Bath, Johan Paul Beukes, Benjamin T. Brem, Nicolas Bukowiecki, Juan Andrés Casquero-Vera, Sébastien Conil, Konstantinos Eleftheriadis, Olivier Favez, Harald Flentje, Maria I. Gini, Francisco Javier Gómez-Moreno, Martin Gysel-Beer, Anna Gannet Hallar, Ivo Kalapov, Nikos Kalivitis, Anne Kasper-Giebl, Melita Keywood, Jeong Eun Kim, Sang-Woo Kim, Adam Kristensson, Markku Kulmala, Heikki Lihavainen, Neng-Huei Lin, Hassan Lyamani, Angela Marinoni, Sebastiao Martins Dos Santos, Olga L. Mayol-Bracero, Frank Meinhardt, Maik Merkel, Jean-Marc Metzger, Nikolaos Mihalopoulos, Jakub Ondracek, Marco Pandolfi, Noemi Pérez, Tuukka Petäjä, Jean-Eudes Petit, David Picard, Jean-Marc Pichon, Veronique Pont, Jean-Philippe Putaud, Fabienne Reisen, Karine Sellegri, Sangeeta Sharma, Gerhard Schauer, Patrick Sheridan, James Patrick Sherman, Andreas Schwerin, Ralf Sohmer, Mar Sorribas, Junying Sun, Pierre Tulet, Ville Vakkari, Pieter Gideon van Zyl, Fernando Velarde, Paolo Villani, Stergios Vratolis, Zdenek Wagner, Sheng-Hsiang Wang, Kay Weinhold, Rolf Weller, Margarita Yela, Vladimir Zdimal, and Paolo Laj
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 21, 17185–17223, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-17185-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-17185-2021, 2021
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Aerosol particles are a complex component of the atmospheric system the effects of which are among the most uncertain in climate change projections. Using data collected at 62 stations, this study provides the most up-to-date picture of the spatial distribution of particle number concentration and size distribution worldwide, with the aim of contributing to better representation of aerosols and their interactions with clouds in models and, therefore, better evaluation of their impact on climate.
Jean-Eudes Petit, Jean-Charles Dupont, Olivier Favez, Valérie Gros, Yunjiang Zhang, Jean Sciare, Leila Simon, François Truong, Nicolas Bonnaire, Tanguy Amodeo, Robert Vautard, and Martial Haeffelin
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 21, 17167–17183, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-17167-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-17167-2021, 2021
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The COVID-19 outbreak led to lockdowns at national scales in spring 2020. Large cuts in emissions occurred, but the quantitative assessment of their role from observations is hindered by weather and interannual variability. That is why we developed an innovative methodology in order to best characterize the impact of lockdown on atmospheric chemistry. We find that a local decrease in traffic-related pollutants triggered a decrease of secondary aerosols and an increase in ozone.
Stavros-Andreas Logothetis, Vasileios Salamalikis, Antonis Gkikas, Stelios Kazadzis, Vassilis Amiridis, and Andreas Kazantzidis
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 21, 16499–16529, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-16499-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-16499-2021, 2021
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This study investigates the temporal trends of dust optical depth (DOD; 550 nm) on global, regional and seasonal scales over a 15-year period (2003–2017) using the MIDAS (ModIs Dust AeroSol) dataset. The findings of this study revealed that the DOD was increased across the central Sahara and the Arabian Peninsula, with opposite trends over the eastern and western Sahara, the Thar and Gobi deserts, in the Bodélé Depression, and in the southern Mediterranean.
Anna K. Tobler, Alicja Skiba, Francesco Canonaco, Griša Močnik, Pragati Rai, Gang Chen, Jakub Bartyzel, Miroslaw Zimnoch, Katarzyna Styszko, Jaroslaw Nęcki, Markus Furger, Kazimierz Różański, Urs Baltensperger, Jay G. Slowik, and Andre S. H. Prevot
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 21, 14893–14906, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-14893-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-14893-2021, 2021
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Kraków is among the cities with the highest particulate matter levels within Europe. We conducted long-term and highly time-resolved measurements of the chemical composition of submicron particlulate matter (PM1). Combined with advanced source apportionment techniques, which allow for time-dependent factor profiles, our results elucidate that traffic and residential heating (biomass burning and coal combustion) as well as oxygenated organic aerosol are the key PM sources in Kraków.
Jesús Yus-Díez, Vera Bernardoni, Griša Močnik, Andrés Alastuey, Davide Ciniglia, Matic Ivančič, Xavier Querol, Noemí Perez, Cristina Reche, Martin Rigler, Roberta Vecchi, Sara Valentini, and Marco Pandolfi
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 14, 6335–6355, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-14-6335-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-14-6335-2021, 2021
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Here we characterize the multiple-scattering factor, C, of the dual-spot Aethalometer AE33 and its cross-sensitivity to scattering and wavelength dependence for three background stations: urban, regional and mountaintop. C was obtained for two sets of filter tapes: M8020 and M8060. The cross-sensitivity to scattering and wavelength dependence of C were determined by inter-comparing with other absorption and scattering measurements including multi-angle off-line absorption measurements.
Mahesh Kumar Sha, Bavo Langerock, Jean-François L. Blavier, Thomas Blumenstock, Tobias Borsdorff, Matthias Buschmann, Angelika Dehn, Martine De Mazière, Nicholas M. Deutscher, Dietrich G. Feist, Omaira E. García, David W. T. Griffith, Michel Grutter, James W. Hannigan, Frank Hase, Pauli Heikkinen, Christian Hermans, Laura T. Iraci, Pascal Jeseck, Nicholas Jones, Rigel Kivi, Nicolas Kumps, Jochen Landgraf, Alba Lorente, Emmanuel Mahieu, Maria V. Makarova, Johan Mellqvist, Jean-Marc Metzger, Isamu Morino, Tomoo Nagahama, Justus Notholt, Hirofumi Ohyama, Ivan Ortega, Mathias Palm, Christof Petri, David F. Pollard, Markus Rettinger, John Robinson, Sébastien Roche, Coleen M. Roehl, Amelie N. Röhling, Constantina Rousogenous, Matthias Schneider, Kei Shiomi, Dan Smale, Wolfgang Stremme, Kimberly Strong, Ralf Sussmann, Yao Té, Osamu Uchino, Voltaire A. Velazco, Corinne Vigouroux, Mihalis Vrekoussis, Pucai Wang, Thorsten Warneke, Tyler Wizenberg, Debra Wunch, Shoma Yamanouchi, Yang Yang, and Minqiang Zhou
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 14, 6249–6304, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-14-6249-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-14-6249-2021, 2021
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This paper presents, for the first time, Sentinel-5 Precursor methane and carbon monoxide validation results covering a period from November 2017 to September 2020. For this study, we used global TCCON and NDACC-IRWG network data covering a wide range of atmospheric and surface conditions across different terrains. We also show the influence of a priori alignment, smoothing uncertainties and the sensitivity of the validation results towards the application of advanced co-location criteria.
Cited articles
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Baars, H., Ansmann, A., Engelmann, R., and Althausen, D.: Continuous monitoring of the boundary-layer top with lidar, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 8, 7281–7296, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-8-7281-2008, 2008.
Bates, T. S., Quinn, P. K., Johnson, J. E., Corless, A., Brechtel, F. J., Stalin, S. E., Meinig, C., and Burkhart, J. F.: Measurements of atmospheric aerosol vertical distributions above Svalbard, Norway, using unmanned aerial systems (UAS), Atmos. Meas. Tech., 6, 2115–2120, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-6-2115-2013, 2013.
Bisht, D. S., Tiwari, S., Dumka, U. C., Srivastava, A. K., Safai, P. D.,
Ghude, S. D., Chate, D. M., Rao, P. S. P., Ali, K., Prabhakaran, T.,
Panickar, A. S., Soni, V. K., Attri, S. D., Tunved, P., Chakrabarty, R. K.,
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Collaud Coen, M., Weingartner, E., Apituley, A., Ceburnis, D., Fierz-Schmidhauser, R., Flentje, H., Henzing, J. S., Jennings, S. G., Moerman, M., Petzold, A., Schmid, O., and Baltensperger, U.: Minimizing light absorption measurement artifacts of the Aethalometer: evaluation of five correction algorithms, Atmos. Meas. Tech., 3, 457–474, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-3-457-2010, 2010.
Corrigan, C. E., Roberts, G. C., Ramana, M. V., Kim, D., and Ramanathan, V.: Capturing vertical profiles of aerosols and black carbon over the Indian Ocean using autonomous unmanned aerial vehicles, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 8, 737–747, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-8-737-2008, 2008.
Drinovec, L., Močnik, G., Zotter, P., Prévôt, A. S. H., Ruckstuhl, C., Coz, E., Rupakheti, M., Sciare, J., Müller, T., Wiedensohler, A., and Hansen, A. D. A.: The ”dual-spot” Aethalometer: an improved measurement of aerosol black carbon with real-time loading compensation, Atmos. Meas. Tech., 8, 1965–1979, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-8-1965-2015, 2015.
Düsing, S., Wehner, B., Müller, T., Stöcker, A., and Wiedensohler, A.: The effect of rapid relative humidity changes on fast filter-based aerosol particle light absorption measurements: uncertainties and correction schemes, Atmos. Meas. Tech. Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-2019-101, in review, 2019.
Engelmann, R., Kanitz, T., Baars, H., Heese, B., Althausen, D., Skupin, A., Wandinger, U., Komppula, M., Stachlewska, I. S., Amiridis, V., Marinou, E., Mattis, I., Linné, H., and Ansmann, A.: The automated multiwavelength Raman polarization and water-vapor lidar PollyXT: the neXT generation, Atmos. Meas. Tech., 9, 1767–1784, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-9-1767-2016, 2016.
Erel, Y., Dayan, U., Rabi, R., Rudich, Y., and Stein, M.: Trans boundary
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Ferrero, L., Castelli, M., Ferrini, B. S., Moscatelli, M., Perrone, M. G., Sangiorgi, G., D'Angelo, L., Rovelli, G., Moroni, B., Scardazza, F., Močnik, G., Bolzacchini, E., Petitta, M., and Cappelletti, D.: Impact of black carbon aerosol over Italian basin valleys: high-resolution measurements along vertical profiles, radiative forcing and heating rate, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 14, 9641–9664, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-14-9641-2014, 2014.
Ferrero, L., Cappelletti, D., Busetto, M., Mazzola, M., Lupi, A., Lanconelli, C., Becagli, S., Traversi, R., Caiazzo, L., Giardi, F., Moroni, B., Crocchianti, S., Fierz, M., Močnik, G., Sangiorgi, G., Perrone, M. G., Maturilli, M., Vitale, V., Udisti, R., and Bolzacchini, E.: Vertical profiles of aerosol and black carbon in the Arctic: a seasonal phenomenology along 2 years (2011–2012) of field campaigns, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 16, 12601–12629, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-16-12601-2016, 2016.
Ferrero, L., Močnik, G., Cogliati, S., Gregorič, A., Colombo, R., and
Bolzacchini, E.: Heating Rate of Light Absorbing Aerosols: Time-Resolved
Measurements, the Role of Clouds, and Source Identification, Environ. Sci.
Technol., 52, 3546–3555, https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.7b04320, 2018.
Florou, K., Papanastasiou, D. K., Pikridas, M., Kaltsonoudis, C., Louvaris, E., Gkatzelis, G. I., Patoulias, D., Mihalopoulos, N., and Pandis, S. N.: The contribution of wood burning and other pollution sources to wintertime organic aerosol levels in two Greek cities, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 17, 3145–3163, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-17-3145-2017, 2017.
Fourtziou, L., Liakakou, E., Stavroulas, I., Theodosi, C., Zarmpas, P.,
Psiloglou, B., Sciare, J., Maggos, T., Bairachtari, K., Bougiatioti, A.,
Gerasopoulos, E., Sarda-Estève, R., Bonnaire, N., and Mihalopoulos, N.:
Multi-tracer approach to characterize domestic wood burning in Athens
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Short summary
This work evaluates the performance of three sensors that monitor black carbon (soot). These sensors exhibit similar behavior to their rack-mounted counterparts and are therefore promising for more extended use. A reconstruction of the black carbon mass vertical distribution above Athens, Greece, is shown using drones, similar to those acquired by remote-sensing techniques. The potential of combining miniature sensors with drones for at least the lower part of the atmosphere is exhibited.
This work evaluates the performance of three sensors that monitor black carbon (soot). These...
